Cataclysm
by Vadraxia
Summary: A story of love, loss, and two people who seemed to be exact opposites. Orihime struggles to survive in Las Noches, finding comfort within her captor. After all, it's said that opposites attract, right? Orihime x Ulquiorra Chapter 13 Finally Out!
1. Why?

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!

Orihime Inoue sat on the end of her small cot, gazing up at the small ray of moonlight that shot through the ceiling. That was all she ever did nowadays. Her room was bare and boring, so that really was the only thing that she could do. She gazed down at her small, fine hands. How much blood was being spilled for her sake at this very moment? Or perhaps Ulquiorra-sama was simply being cruel in claiming that her friends had come to rescue her. Glancing back up at the ceiling, she folded her hands neatly on her lap. Yes, that must be it.

_"To rescue you. For them, no other reason is necessary." _the cold arrancar had stated simply, as if it made no relevence in the world. Of course, it probably didn't. Aizen-sama would be much too powerful. Even for Ichigo. _Ichigo..._ He probably didn't even recall when she had went to see him late at night before her departure. There, she had confessed her feelings; the ones that she had been keeping within herself ever since she had met the orange-haired boy. Orihime bit her lip harshly, cursing inwardly for letting her mind wander yet again. _I promised myself that I wouldn't do this anymore._

It was too hard. Too hard to be open and kind as she once was. Normally, she'd be the one to leap up, full of hope and excitement. Not this time. This time, she knew that Kurosaki-kun wouldn't burst through the door, ready to save her. She knew that Rukia-san and Renji-kun wouldn't run in behind him, scolding every little mistake that he made. Sado-kun and Ishida-kun wouldn't watch behind as chaos ensued between the party.

Vaguely, she wondered what must be of her friends now. If they were here in Heuco Mundo, would they be alright? Of course not. Judging by Ulquiorra-sama's ease to the situation, something told her that this wouldn't be the same as last time. _The same as when we all went to rescue Kuchiki-san._

She stood from the edge of her cot, taking small steps until she was directly under the ray of lights that expanded from the moon. She looked up at the window, longingly. It was too late for regret now. She had went willingly to Aizen-sama in order to secure the safety of her friends that she held so dear. Why was it turning out this way? Why was everything so wrong? _Please be safe..._

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"Ichigo-than, are you sthur that we're going the right way?" Nell asked innocently, looking up at the orange haired shinigami. They had been running for the past 15 minutes; rather, Ichigo had been running, as Nell was simply being carried. Beads of sweat covered his face as they continued down the plain hallway. Hadn't they been down this one already? Or maybe all the walls were all the same. The young girl contemplated the possibilities as Ichigo went on.

"Beats me," Ichigo muttered through shallow breaths, determined to keep going. "But we can't stop now. When I get my hands on that bastard, I'm going to wish he had never came across my path in the first place," he growled darkly, referring to Aizen.

Nell gazed up at the shinigami, noticing the large amount of determination that shrouded his face. After his encounter with the previous espada, he had been totally wiped, body and mind. "Ichigo-than, I know you want to find your friend, but you sthould rest!" The orange haired boy stopped for a moment, taking in large breaths in an unsteady pace.

"You don't understand, Nell. Inoue has been there to help us through everything. If you think that I'd do anything to risk her safety now..." he clenched his free fist tightly, and Nell looked up in concern.

"I never sthaid that! I just think that you sthould rest, or you won't be able to get past any other guys like that that ethspada!"

Ichigo recalled the man's voice. They were wise words, and he regretted missing the last part due to his exit. "Become a demon. Just as strong as a demon. Just as wicked. You must realise that the only way to defeat the coldhearted is to become coldhearted yourself," he recited word per word. "I'm not sure that I'm too fond of those ideas, but they're true. I'm not going to be able to get very far in here if I stop and rest every time someone comes along. If I do that... I'll never be strong enough to rescue Inoue."

Nell paused, not exactly sure how she should respond. Of course, he was right. She didn't want Ichigo to get hurt. Before Nell could debate further, Ichigo began to sprint once again.

The hallway soon opened up into another room, similiar to the one that they had just fought in. Three different hallways appeared before them both, all the exact same. Nell felt Ichigo's grip loosen around her waist, and she was quickly lowered to the ground.

"Ichi--" Nell was cut off when Ichigo grasped the handle of his zanpakutoh.

"There's someone here." The wrapping that covered Zangetsu's blade unraveled themselves, and Ichigo pulled the blade to his front, preparing for someone's attack.


	2. Attempts

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach!

A/N - I'm just gotta say this now, but I really don't find Chad useful in the least. Please don't hate me for not including him in this story to a large degree, as this will focus on characters more like Orihime and Ulquiorra XD

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Sado breathed harshly as he ran down the hallways, panic setting in. Where was he? It seemed as if he had been in the same place for ages. A light was apparent at the end of the tunnel, but then again, it had been there for the last 15 minutes. He had been lucky enough so far as to not encounter any enemies, but how long would that luck hold out. With his left hand, Sado clutched his golden medallion tightly, the one that he had received from his abuelo. He had to rescue Inoue. He _had _to!

Subconciously, he recalled the day that they had both been taking in by the man Urahara. Sitting on the soft cushions, they were told the seemingly impossible story of what was happening. The Soul Reapers, the Hollows... If he had never come to Ichigo's younger sister's rescue, where would he be now? Perhaps he would still be in some alleyway, taking punches to the chest while defending some kid. Perhaps he'd be somewhere greater, performing a deed that the entire world balanced on. Sado shook his head, as if to shake out the thoughts that continued to linger on.

His breath caught in his throat as the light soon expanded, signaling an exit. Had he finally reached the main room? Or was this simply another path on the way to Inoue? The room was large, and white. Similar to the one that everyone had spread out from. _Don't tell me that I'm back at the start!?_

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Rukia strode down the stone passageway, glancing around, searching for something along the walls. _It's not sense wasting my energy running around if I come across an arrancar._ She raised her right arm, sweeping it along the wall as her shoes made a soft _click clack_ on the floor. She paused for a moment, feeling something out of place against the wall. Turning to face it, Rukia traced her fingers around the loose stone.

Pressing it in, she heard a distant _clunk_ from behind the wall. She lept back, placing her hand on the hilt of her sword as the wall dropped inward, opening up a different pathway. Hearing a shout, Rukia instantly ran into the doorway, recognizing the source of the voice.

"Damnit Rukia! Why did you have to go and do that!?" Renji shouted, recognizing the short shinigami as she lept through the wall that had suddenly collapsed in front of him. He was now on his face, a confused expression covering his sharp face. Rukia raised an eyebrow at her red-haired companion.

"I'm surprised that you didn't notice that this was here, Renji. I would have expected you to be one of the first to pick something like this up," she snickered, offering her hand to lift Renji up. Grudgingly, he took it, surprised at how easily she lifted him up.

"Whatever," he sulked, folding his arms across his chest. "So these hallways all connect?"

"Perhaps," she considered. "Then there wasn't too much point in splitting up. They must change courses somewhere, or else we all would have found eachother as quickly as I found you."

"You don't need to rub it in," he growled, stepping over to rubble to continue forward. "If you're so smart, I assume you noticed that reiatsu earlier?"

Rukia nodded quickly, "it must have been Ichigo's. There's no doubt about it."

"Figures that these espada guys chose to target him first," Renji frowned, noticing the light appearing at the end of the hallway. "Care to join me for a bit? I don't know how much good I'd do to such an _amazing _shinigami as yourself, but it couldn't hurt to have some back-up."

"Of course," she grinned at her childhood friend as she followed behind him. They soon arrived at the room, recognizing it as the same layout as before.

"Damnit, figures that they decided to make all of the buildings look the _exact _same," Renji complained loudly, noticing the large amount of pathways that connected off of the room.

"Too bad you won't have much time to explore them," a voice boomed from above the two, echoing with uncontrollable laughter. Renji and Rukia spun around, finding what could easily be explained as a monster.

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Ulquiorra paced the hallways outside of Inoue's room, his arms folded neatly behind his back. As much as his cool face hid any emotion that ever managed to creep up, he was worried. What exactly did Aizen-sama wish to do with the girl? Surely he didn't need to depend on such a weak human to carry out his plans. Or maybe he did.

He had asked the espada to retrieve the girl so that he may speak with her, and he had grudgingly agreed. He would never imagine going against Aizen-sama's wishes, for he knew the punishment that would follow. Too many times he had seen what had happened to those who defied him, and it was never too pleasant.

He slid the large white door open slowly, seeing the girl standing directly across from him, her bright orange hair hanging loosely over her shoulders. She was wearing the normal garb that had been assigned to her by Aizen-sama. It actually suited her quite well, the lines accenting every curve in her body. She turned to face him, and he noticed that her eyes had lost the brightness that had occupied then before she had been taken to Heuco Mundo. This place really was destroying her…

"Yes, Ulquiorra-sama?" she muttered politely, bringing her hands up to her chest.

"Aizen-sama wishes to see you," he stated simply, his arms still folded behind him. "You do not wish to keep him waiting."

"Of course not," she agreed, walking out of the direct ray of moonlight. She followed the espada stiffly, glancing around nervously. "A-any idea what he wishes to see me about?" she questioned nervously, afraid of stepping over that invisible line of respect.

"I haven't the slightest idea," he remarked softly. Orihime nodded, folding her hands in front of her as she followed behind the man.

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Ishida ran through the empty hallways, his breath coming in a monotonous rythem. He **would **save Inoue-san. Ever since he had met the cheerful red-head, he knew that he had a duty to protect her. He had always come to her aid before. When she broke her arm, he bandaged it. When they were in the Soul Society, he would protect her from the shinigami. His eyebrows furrowed at the thought of shinigami, finding it ironic how much he had gained from the assistance of his mortal enemies. How much had lost was a different matter.

_"Ishida-kun! If you hadn't been here, I probably would have injured myself so badly that I'd never be able to meet up with Kurosaki-kun!" _he recalled her voice, bright with excitement. Of course, it was obvious that her heart belonged to said shinigami, but nonetheless, he did his best to protect her.

Entering the plain white room, Ishida glanced around, pushing his glasses up, mostly due to habit.

"Ishida-kun?" a familiar voice called from his left. He looked over, seeing no other then Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Ishida greeted, "I guess this means that the pathways meet up at some points?" The orange-haired death god nodded, and Ishida noticed that something was following him. "What's that?"

The same arrancar that they had left at the entrance to the building popped out from behind Ichigo, a toothy grin covering her face. "Hello there!"

"Oh yeah, Nell came too," Ichigo stated as if it were the simplist thing in the world. "Even though I told him not to," the last, he said while shooting a glare at the young girl as Nell sunk back behind the shinigami. Ishida raised an eyebrow at the man's carefree behaviour.

"I assume that you haven't found Inoue-san yet then..." Ishida Uryuu muttered, half to himself. Ichigo shook his head slowly, muttering something under his breath. "No matter, we shouldn't waste any time here if we want to rescue her."

"Ah, you're right," Ichigo nodded as he turned to the other doorways. "So you came through the one right there, and that just leaves those two," he motioned towards the two doorways parallel to them. "We both know that splitting up didn't do too much before, so lets choose one."

Ishida nodded as Ichigo began a rigorous session of eenie-minee-mo in order to select which door to take. He frowned at the lack of intelligence regarding the situation at hand.

Picking the right doorway, Ichigo led both him and Nell through it, towards where Inoue may be. Ishida wasn't sure, but he hoped that they'd arrive in time. He didn't know what he'd do if she wasn't alright...


	3. Shattered

A/N - thanks for the review(s?) (maybe before I post this chapter? Please? XD) I really appreciated the feedback! I'm going to do my best to make the chapters slightly longer so that I can cover more, as it's basically been going nowhere at the moment. I'm pretty sure that I'm mainly going to be focusing on InouexUlquoirra, and RukiaxRenji. As some may have noticed. I've now placed this fiction under the InouexUlquoirra pairing on the search.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach! However, the random arrancar without a name, is.

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"You wished to see me, Aizen-sama?" Inoue asked hesitantly, feeling the weight of his presence boring down on her. Ulquoirra had exited the room after she had entered, so he must be waiting at the door to escort her back after. If she _would_ get back... The man stared down at her passively, sitting down in his usual chair above where she stood. She noticed that a shinigami was standing to her right, leaning up against the wall. She vaguely recalled him, trying to place a name. _Ichimaru Gin._

"Yes, I did. Thank you for coming with such haste," he praised lightly, humor lacing his smooth voice. "I need you to evacuate the room that you're staying in at the moment."

Her eyes widened in surprise. What was with the sudden change? "Uh... M-may I ask why?" she spoke softly.

"As Ulquiorra must have mentioned already, Kurosaki-kun and his friends have invaded Heuco Mundo to rescue you." Her breath caught in her throat. _So it was true. It wasn't simply a lie made up by him..._ She wasn't sure whether to smile or cry, but Aizen-sama gave her no time to think about it, "it's too risky to have you so far away of where I can keep you. I wouldn't want them coming across you by mistake, now would I?"

She glanced down at her feet, twisting her fingers nervously. She should have known something like this would happen. Even if Kurosaki-kun and everyone managed to get this far, Aizen-sama would never allow them to reach her. "O-of course not, Aizen-sama."

He nodded in approval at her obidient behavior. She heard the man to her right chuckle softly, folding his arms lazily. "Right then. As of now, you will be residing in one of the espada's quarters. I need you where I can keep a close eye on you." Inoue bit her lip nervously, scared at the fact she'd be sleeping near one of the most deadly men in Heuco Mundo.

"Hai, Aizen-sama."

He brushed a strand of light brown hair from his eyes, glancing at Gin for a moment, then back to Inoue. "You'll be staying in Ulquoirra's room for the time being." Her eyes widened in surprise. Not only did she have to stay in one of the espada's rooms, but it had to be the most heartless and quiet men. "Well, it's him or Grimmjow."

Her eyes shot up to meet his, but she quickly lowered her gaze, blushing slightly. "N-no, it would be an honor to be allowed in Ulquoirra-sama's presence."

A smirk crossed his face momentarily. "Very good. Gin, if you would please show her to her new room?" He stood from the wall, giving a small wave to the man.

"Course Aizen-_sama!"_ he grinned happily. Inoue waited a moment before following, glancing back at the door she had entered in, searching for Ulquoirra. Seeing that he wasn't there, she followed the white haired man, silently praying to herself.

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"Haha, you think you can fight me!?" the large voice boomed from above as Renji and Rukia stepped into their battle stances, glancing up at the arrancar above. He was tall with a large build, a hollow mask covered the bottom portion of his face, coming up in fang-like shapes over his mouth. Greasy black hair fell over his head to his shoulders, giving him the look as if he hadn't showered in ages. "You're just puny humans!"

Rukia stepped back, preparing for a kidou attack, "Hadou 4: White Lightning!" she shouted on the top of her lungs, as a large blast of lightning shot from the tip of her fingers. Renji drew Zabimaru from it's sheath, quickly releasing it's form.

"Howl, Zabimaru!"

The Arrancar jumped down, dodging Rukia's kidou and landing on his feet as if he were a cat. A huge grin covered what you could see of his mouth, and his eyes were wide with excitement. "This should be fun!"

Renji clenched his teeth in frusturation as he lept forward, his sword lengthening towards their opponent. The man swiftly pulled his sword up, blocking Renji's attack with his zanpakutoh still half in it's sheath.

"Hadou 31: Shakkahou!" Rukia shouted, a strong blast of power leaving her hands, shooting towards the man. It hit his sword from the side, knocking it out of his hand. Renji took the advantage to attack once again with Zabimaru, cutting a deep slash in his left arm.

"Damn you," the arrancar cursed quickly, leaping back to one of the walls, gripping his arm harshly. "Think you're so tough? Huh!?"

"Actually, yeah!" Renji countered, seriously irritated at the man's obnoxious behavior. Rukia ran up behind him, gripping the handle of her sword with her right hand, grasping the sheath with her left. She pulled it out, muttering the release under her breath, "Sode no Shirayuki." The snow white zanpakutoh shone brightly before both Renji and the arrancar.

The red haired shinigami stared at the beautiful weapon admirably. Such grace really suited it's owner. He shook his head quickly, returning his glance to the half-hollow man.

"What the hell? It's not even a real blade!" Rukia frowned at the man, leaping forward, slashing at the arrancar.

"First Dance: Tsukishiro," she whispered softly, and the man's eyes opened widely in alarm. Before either Renji or the arrancar knew it, he was covered in a thick sheet of ice, frozen in time. Rukia knelt down, returning her sword to it's original form before returning it to her sheath, all without a word.

"T-that was amazing, Rukia!" he grinned, returning his own zanpakutoh at the same time. "It really was beautiful." She glanced at him over her shoulder, a small smile flashing on her face.

"Now comes the dirty work," she muttered, redying her hand for another Kidou attack, "Hadou 31: Shakkahou!" After she finished the incantation, a burst of energy shot from her hand, shattering the ice and the man along with it into a million shards. Blood mixed upon the pieces of ice, and Renji frowned, turning away from the mess. "We should go on..."

"Hai. It won't be long until backup arrives," Renji agreed, turning towards one of the pathways. "Lets go." Rukia nodded, following her red-haired friend into another dark passageway.

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Inoue sat on a blanket on the floor of a simliar white room the one she had previously occupied. It was basically the exact same as her room, except now a small blanket had been rolled out for Inoue to sleep on. She hugged her legs in front of her, resting her head on her knees. Her long orange hair fell around her arms, and she stared at it blankly. _Tatsuki-chan..._ Her hair always reminded her of her dear friend. It symbolised their friendship, and her trust in Tatsuki.

She recalled the day that she had told that to Tatsuki. They had both been an inch away from death, a Hollow breathing down both of their necks. That had been the day that she had realised her powers of the Shun Shun Rika as well. Tsubaki, Hinagiku, Baigon, Lily, Shonou, and Ayame.

The day that she was told about everything she was in now. The Hollows, the Shinigami. She remembered sitting in Urahara-san's shop, listening to the seemingly impossible explanation.

Her head snapped up as she heard the door open. The familiar espada walked in, hands stuffed in his pockets as he stared ahead of himself. She was confused as to whether she should gain his attention or just stay quiet. He was her superior after all.

Before she decided, he glanced over at her accusingly. "What're you doing in here?"

"Uh... Aizen-sama ordered me to stay here. H-he needs to keep a closer eye on me now that my fr--," she paused for a moment, "now that there are intruders in Heuco Mundo." He exhaled slightly, and Inoue was shocked to find a slight hint of relief covering his face. So he _was _capable of emotions?

"Fine. Stay there. Don't talk." he ordered instantly. She frowned, but nodded her head. Turning around, he went to his bed, crawling under the sheets without removing a piece of his clothing. _Just as well, _she sighed to herself in relief. She did the same, laying under he sheets while facing the white wall.

Before she knew it, sleep had taken her.


	4. Heart

A/N - Ack, sorry for the late update! I've been trying to get all of my Christmas things out of the way, and things just keep on appearing as I finish one thing.

Well, I considered it for a while, and I decided that if I started to add length to my chapters, I'd get bored. Nuff said. In order for me to keep a consistant update pace, this is the length that I can keep up. I hope that's alright with everyone, and I really _really _appreciate the reviews! They motivate me so much!!! Once again, I apologize for the wait.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach!

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Opening her eyes slowly, Inoue opened her eyes slowly, rubbing them gingerly as she tossed around in her bed, turning to face the other direction. Her back ached from having to sleep on the floor. As uncomfortable as it had been, she missed the frail cot that had occupied up to last night.

She glanced up to the bed opposite of herself, and she quickly noticed that Ulquoirra was gone. Inoue had figured as much, not expecting the cold arrancar to waste any time more then neccesary on something like sleep. She sat up quickly, instantly regretting it as a sharp pain erupted from her back. It had been a long time since she had slept on anything other then what she had become accustomed to.

Standing up, Inoue noticed a small tray of food set at the base of her bed, along with a small pile of folded clothing. She glanced at it hesitantly, but as her stomach grumbled loudly, she didn't favor the idea of skipping breakfast.Who had left the food was something she didn't know, as usually, food was brought to her when she knocked on her door in the morning.

She at the meal silently, staring around the room, picking out things that were different from her past room. After she had finished, she grabbed the pile of clothes, finding a dress with the exact same style of the one she was wearing now. Regardless, she changed into the dress finding that it was, in fact, slightly different. Instead of the plain white with black lines, there was a small blue flowered that decorated the chest of her dress.

Inoue walked around the room for a time, finding the view of the moon even greater from the window in Ulquoirra's room. Before she had much time to watch it, the door slid open quietly, revealing the familiar cold espada.

"Your powers are needed," he said monotonously, his hands held behind his back. She nodded simply, following him towards the infirmary.

"What exactly do I need to fix?"

"Apparently some of the arrancar managed to get into a fight with some of your former companions," he stated simply, quickening his pace slightly. Inoue's eyebrows furrowed slightly. It would be so much better if they all just left now. She wasn't worth saving. Ulquoirra glanced over his shoulder for a moment, curious as to her silence. She glanced up, her eyes meeting with his empty ones. He turned around, stopping in his tracks for a moment. "It isn't worth it to worry about your _friends _so much. If they were smart enough, they'd consider that you joined of your own free will."

Inoue vaguely felt tears for at the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them again, "free will. Is that what you call it?"

"Yes. You joined us of your free will. Why else would you come?"

Her eyes widened in surprise, "have you even considered that I cared about my friend's safety enough to go with you?"

He shrugged slowly, turning so his back was facing her, "whichever you want to believe. It doesn't matter now." Inoue bit down on her lower lip, eyes down to the floor.

She followed the espada until they reached a large dark room with a high ceiling. There were a large number of beds lined up against the walls, only a small amount of them actually filled. It commonly resembled a hospital from Earth, of course, it was much less welcoming. She followed Ulquoirra over to one of the beds, where an arrancar resided, covered in blood. He held a hand over his abdomen, perhaps trying to stop the bleeding, but it was obvious that it wasn't doing anything.

"Heal him." Uquoirra commanded, not a single trace of sympathy covering his face. She nodded reluctantly, swallowing harshly to keep her breakfast where it belonged.

She placed her fingers on her temples, directly upon her flower pins. They were cold to her touch; room temperature she figured, realising how cold it actually was. "Shonou, Ayame; Souten Kishun, I reject!" A faint yellow glow formed around the arrancar, and he coughed loudly in surprise. Orihime noticed a small trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth, and she winced slightly.

Ulquoirra glanced at her lazily, taking a moment to inspect the blue clips that held her hair back. "So, how exactly do they work?"

She looked over to him, slightly surprised that he would take an interest in her clips of anything. "Um, I've been told that they pretty much depend on the strength of my heart. Each petal represents one part of it." She concentrated for a moment, trying to remember everything that she had been told in the past. "Lets see... There's Tsubaki, Hinagiku, Baigon, Lily, Shonou, and Ayame."

He turned his cold gaze back to the suffering arrancar, and a vague smirk crossed his face. "How worthless." He slowly unzipped the top part of his uniform, revealing the small hollow hole in his neck. He subconciously traced a finger around it, swallowing roughly as if in pain. "One day or another, that heart of yours is going to be ripped in two," he turned back to her, his eyes meeting hers, "then what will you do?"

Orihime bit her lower lip softly, her eyes falling back to the man upon the bed. She didn't respond, because she knew that she was right. It was amazing that she could even use her powers in a circumstance such as this. It's true, her heart had been near breaking as she left Ichigo's side that night that seemed so far away. After she had confessed her feelings, it felt like her soul had been ripped out when he wasn't able to respond.

After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, she finished up her healing process, satisified with how much she had done. The espada nodded at her approvingly before leading her to the next bloody person. Softly, she felt a familiar reiatsu in the distance, and she gasped silently. "Ichigo..."

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Ichigo's eyes lit up suddenly as he stopped in his tracks, Uryuu nearly bumping into him.

"Kurosaki-kun! Don't stop so suddenly like that! I almost crashed into you!" the Quincy shot at him, pushing up his glasses. The orange-haired shinigami paid in no heed as he looked up above, finding nothing special.

"I thought I just sensed Inoue-san." he stated simply, a small tinge of excitement on the tip of his words. Ishida's face lit up considerably after hearing this.

"Inoue-san is here!? Where is she?" he questioned, getting eager while the shinigami moved not a step.

"Shut up, dammit. It's too hard to focus with you shouting in my ears. Anyways, aren't you the pro at sensing peoples reiatsu?" Ichigo muttered, half as a joke to the black-haired boy.

He flushed slightly, taking extreme embarressment in the fact that the incompentant death god noticed their friend's reiatsu before he did. He closed his eyes momentarily, trying to pick up a trace of it. Very faintly, he felt a small aura, extremely different then any other in the area. "Yes, I believe I sense it as well. It's close."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, his back still turned to the Quincy. Nell remained silent as she hung from his back. A nervous look covered her face, but Ishida paid in no attention. Anything could get this girl riled up, and he preferred her quiet. Before he knew it, the orange-haired death god had begun running again, this time tracing his hand along the stone wall. Ishida instantly recognized what he was doing, and he did the same thing, except on the other side.

The reiatsu was close, yet it was in an area completely different then where they were. If there was any sort of explanation, it had to be some sort of hidden area. The Quincy ran on, his white cape flowing behind him as he sprinted off towards the unknown.

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Well, there's chapter 4 for you. Hope it wasn't too bad. I am very aware that these chapters are short, but my attention span has like.. a wall against writing anything longer. Believe me, if I try to make these any longer, about 70 of it will be useless descriptions that would make my fat dogs get bored (that takes a lot in case you were wondering.)

See you next time XD


	5. Trash

**A/N: **Ahhhhh!!! I'm SO sorry for such the long wait!!! I feel so terrible about not updating since before Christmas, and I really don't have any good excuses at all ;.; I just really hope everyone had a great holiday and all that jazz.

Ooh, so the world finally gets to hear Ulquoirra's japanese voice. I was pretty happy with it, but let me know what you think with a **review!**

Again, I apologize so much for the late chapter, and I hope that you all enjoy it.

**A little note: **Halfway through this chapter is where the fight between Ishida and Chirucchi (arrancar bitch) takes place.

**garfield's pooky - **Thanks for the review! I apologize for the wait, as the writers block has certainly prevailed for longer then I expected. As for the barriers, I'm still trying to decide how to break them down in a believable fashion, trust me ;.;

**Lin Haku **- Oh, thanks so much! I really appreciate those kinds of comments. Heh, I guess I wasn't so consistant after all XP

**NobleAngel015 **- Haha, thank you! I will try and get a bit more consistant if my schedule allows

**Avi Chant **- Thank you! I just love reading Bleach fanfictions, and to be honest, I only stumbled on them a short time ago myself.

**Liz **- Thanks! I'm going to do my best to add as much UlquoirraxOrihime without leaving the rest of the story out of balance!

**Hypo-Panda **- Hehe, thank you. It's hard to make Ulquoirra's character believeable when it involves any sort of romances /

**Disclaimer **: I don't own Bleach!

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"U-Ulquoirra-sama?" Orihime asked softly, following his quick pace down the halls towards his quarters.

"Yes, Pet-sama?" he inquired without looking back. That_was _her name after all according to everyone else. Just... Why did it feel so strange to use it?

"U-um, I've been wondering. You know when you first came to the human world?" she bent her fingers around absently in front of her, squeezing several together in fear of saying the wrong things at this point.

"I have been to the human world several times before I was ever working under Aizen-sama. I assume you are asking about the time I came to kill Kurosaki Ichigo?" he scanned his thoughts quickly, remembering when him and his partner had come down to the human world, only to find that most of the humans were as weak as a newborn babe.

"Y-yes, I guess that's what I mean," she brushed a strand of bright-orange hair behind her ear, still following down the plain hallways. The faint smell of blood still sat on her after spending so long healing all the wounded arrancar. Oh, how it hurt to have to heal those she knew would be sent out to kill Ichigo. "I remember that you called everyone... Trash."

He smirked extremely lightly at her timidness, recalling how he had had his partner kill everyone with such minimal spiritual energy. He had been such a fool that he could hardly even distinguish the trash from the threats. "Yes, everyone except for that Kurosaki Ichigo were trash."

She stared down at the floor, staring at her feet as she kept on walking. After a moment, she raised her head once again, taking the opportunity to speak, "what did you mean by trash exactly?"

"I meant that everyone had little to no spiritual energy, thus rendering them as a pathetic threat to us. There was really no need to kill them all, but I suppose my partner could simply not pass up the opportunity." Orihime bit her lip at his insult towards everyone's spirit power. Yes, he was the one who had hurt Tatsuki because she was what... Weak? No, this wasn't the time to be getting mopey again. Surely if she did, she would suffer the consequences later.

"Little spiritual energy? A-alright, arigato Ulquoirra-sama." Orihime concluded, dropping the conversation as quickly as humanly possible.

"Of course, Pet-sama."

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"Dammit, I can't believe he actually got lost!" Ichigo shouted, messing his hair up in frusturation. Nell stood a few feet away behind him in the hallways, afraid that she would draw some negative attention to herself. "I mean, we were together just a moment ago!"

"I-Ichigo-than! I sthense fighting going on right now... I'm scared." Nell muttered timidly, sensing an unusual reiatsu a small distance away. One of them seemed quite familiar, and she noticed that the orange-haired shinigami paused, finally sensing the spirit energies.

"Yeah, that's Ishida alright. Damn him, he had to get lost and get himself into a fight!" Ichigo yelled out, louder then usual, and Nell did her best to silence him, claiming that all the arrancar would find them if he kept yelling.

"Ichigo-than... I don't want to get hit by them..." Nell whimpered, tears beginning to form at the edge of her eyes.

Taken aback by the girl's fear, Ichigo knelt down, trying to imagine that she was someone like Yuzu or Karin. "It's alright Nell, sorry for yelling. I'm sure that Ishida can handle himself in a fight."

Nell let out a sigh of relief as the boy stood up, spreading his arms out and shouting at the top of his lungs. "**And if he can't even take on an Arrancar, then I have no use for him anyway!!!"**

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The next day, Orihime awoke to a similar setting as the day before, and after she was granted a shower, Ulquoirra had returned to bring her to the infirmary once again. Holding back her dissapointment, she obeyed, returning to a room she had gotten all too used to.

She scrunched her nose in distaste, seeing how nearly all the beds she had cleared yesterday were filled with suffering patients. Curses of pain and frusturation echoed through the large room, and Orihime had to bite down on her lip in order to stop herself from joining them.

"What's wrong? You don't look well," Ulquoirra stated as if it were _supposed _to be a question, and she looked up at him. For some reason, she almost expected some kind of emotion to cover his perfect face, but her expectations were shot down by a cold and empty stare.

"Ah, nothing. Thank you for your concern Ulquoirra-sama." Orihime let out a small smile, assuring her health. He raised an eyebrow at her response, wondering how often his questions were ever interperated as an act of concern. Certainly he had gotten it much more ever since the woman had arrived at Las Noches.

"Hmph. Just start over here," the black-haired espada led Orihime over to a woman with a deep wound in her chest that was apparent due to the blood soaking through her dress at a rapid rate. "This is Chirucchi. I've heard that she was just recently defeated by one of the intruders."

Orihime's breath caught as she walked up to the woman. She was wincing in pain, and she continuously attempted to get up, finding each attempt more painful. "Damn it, don't even mention that bastard!"

She was caught off guard by her immediate attitude, so Orihime slowed her pace, keeping about a foot away as she came to the woman's side. Ulquoirra scanned the two woman before speaking, "I'll leave you to your work..."

"Shonou, Ayame; Souten Kishun. I reject!" the familiar golden glow began to cover the woman, and she relaxed finally, realising that she couldn't do anything in her current position. After what seemed like forever, Chirucchi spoke, "so the bastard that beat me is here to save you?"

Orihime looked up towards the woman, who had a determined look on her face. "Um, yes, I believe he is..." She waited for a moment before continuing, unable to contain her curiousity any longer, "Um.. Chirucchi-san, may I ask who the man was?"

"Pft, I don't remember stuff like names or anything. Not like he was anything special enough to remember," the orange-haired girl returned her gaze to the floor, dissapointment covering her face. Unable to keep the silence, the arrancar continued, "I do remember something though."

"Hai?"

"He was a Quincy."

Orihime heard herself gasp as tears ran freely down her face. Ishida-kun was here. He was here to save her. She had tried for so long just to deny herself the pleasure of thinking they were really here to save her, but hearing this news broke down all of those resentments.

The arrancar frowned impatiently at Orihime as she wiped away several tears, trying to push the thoughts out of her head. Was she happy? No, she was devastated. All she could have asked for was to see them all again, but now they were going to be killed. Just for her.

"If it makes a difference to you... I went easy on him. He's not really injured or anything." Orihime stared up at her defiant features, feeling a slight bit of comfort for the first time in ages. Hearing that Uryuu was uninjured seemed to be enough for now. But what of the others? Or maybe he was the only one who came...

The two remained in silence for the rest of the process, Chiucchi's wounds healing at a rapid pace.

Unknown to them both, a pair of bright green eyes watched from the distance in interest. How could the human heart be so weak as to stop her by simple words? She was truly a mystery to him.

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There's chapter 5 for you! I might plan to have a bit of ChiucchixOrihime friendship go on, but I'm not terribly sure at the moment. Let me know what you think with a review ) Oh man, shameless plugs here, huh?

I'll try not to be too long until the next chapter, but school is a real pain right now ;.;

Bye bye!


	6. Chained

**A/N** : Hm, I guess it was a pretty quick chapter this time. Not the longest of them, but I felt a sudden splurge of motivation, and I just had to write this all down!!

**Shichimaru Gin **- I think that's the best thing I've heard all week. Honestly, I barely know you, but I like you already P Thanks for the review!!!

**Karisa **- Hehe, thanks so much!!

**Oxygen Pirate **- I think I'm as excited as you to see where this story will head P Enjoy the new chapter!

**Jay Fortuna** - Thanks for the review! It was actually a spur of the moment thing when I thought of it, but now that I think about it, I think Chirucchi would really get along with someone like Orihime... you know... if she wasn't trying to kill her or nothing?

**Adrianna Rosewood **- Aw, thanks so much! That makes me feel so great when people come out and say that, so I truly appreciate it. Oh, UlqOri is meant to be. I mean, when he's all like "Kill her, Yami", you can totally tell he's hitting on her .

**PreciousWolfie **- Ah, Orihime is just such a sweet character, but I can understand if she's not your favourite hides sharp objects XD Thanks for the review!

**Me **- Uh, nice username by the way P Agh, it's killing me to wait for the new manga chapters each week, but I must say, I loved the chapter where Orihime slapped him. It was so awesome!

**ELLIE31773 -** Aw, thanks very much!!

**De **- Oh man, I think it was your reviews that made me so motivated. I felt so happy when I read them, and I truly, deeply appreciate it! Thanks so much!

_**Enjoy the Chapter!**_

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Orihime's heart paused, a familiar feeling stirring deep down within her breast as she faltered. What _was _this? It seemed so... familiar. She felt the strongest urge to simply drop down to her knees and bask in the warm feeling surrounding her. Ulquoirra glanced back at her curiously, a shred of impatience lining his eyes as he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Pet-sama?"

"W-what is this...?" she spoke aloud, clutching both of her hands on her chest. "It feels like..." She considered her words carefully, reminding herself that she wasn't in the most... understand of company.

Before she could finish, he let out a small laugh of amusement, "I was wondering how long it would take you to pick up on it." Her eyes widened, confusion littering her gaze as she searched for answers underneath his empty stare. "He's been here for nearly a day now."

Orihime let out a gasp as she understood what he was saying. Sado was here! He was close! She lurched forward subconciously, "Where is he?!" The espada was taken aback slightly by her response, but he simply gave her a cool glance, a smirk threatening to cross his lips. This is one of her personalities that had hadn't seen too much of.

"That doesn't concern you."

"Of course it concerns me!" she retorted, feeling tears brim her eyes. It seemed like ages since she had felt such a familiar reiatsu. She missed it She truly did. "Tell me where Sado is!!!" Her cries quickly erupted into shouts as she did her best to contain herself. Needless to say, it was not working. "**Tell me!**"

Ulquoirra's eyes narrowed, taking a dislike to her newfound attitude. If she didn't learn to show some respect to her superiors, it would certainly not end well for her. "And if I don't?" She took another step forward, nearly shaking in frusturation. He could see the tears beginning to grow at the corners of his eyes, but for once, it didn't seem to give him the same satisfaction as usual. He pondered for a moment as to why it might have been, but immediately dismissed it as she continued towards him.

'Where is... Sado..." she continued, her breaths coming in short gasps. It was amazing how a single event such as this could spark such an incredible reaction. Intruiging.

"Are you truly that determined to find a former comrade?" he questioned, seeing pain strike her grey eyes. Instead of stepping closer towards him, she sank down to her knees, while Ulquoirra had to still himself not to catch her. Dismissing his thoughts once again, he folded his arms behind his back, staring blankly at the woman.

"P-please, t-t-tell me wh-where S-sado-kun i-is.." she leaned forward, letting salty tears drip onto the stone ground. "I b-beg you, U-u-ulquoirra-s-sama." It was nearly impossible to distinguish her words behind the constant gasps of air. Was he really this important to her? He exhaled slowly, turning around so his back was facing her.

"I cannot tolerate you in this manner, woman. If you are to act this way for the remainder of your stay, it shall drive me insane. If it is truly that important to you, go and see this man. I expect you back in my quarters within the hour," he turned his face, showing a cold stare as she glanced up shyly. "If you even think of escaping, I'll make you wish you had never sensed the man's reiatsu in the first place."

She nodded, dumbfounded that he even considered letting her see him. Was he doing it out of kindness? Or was it simply to taunt her as she searched throughout Las Noches for his presence. Regardless, she stood shakily, darting off in front of Ulquoirra in a run as she searched the building for him. She had to find Sado.

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Orihime rounded a corner, immediately finding herself in a dark room. Instead of the common white walls, this one was all stone, one single space in the ceiling allowing a small ray of light to dart down, lighting a small portion of the room itself. What really took her by surprise was the sillouete of her dear friend leaning against the far wall, his arms chained up.

"S-sado-kun..." she muttered softly, taking small steps towards the figure. Was he.. unconcious? Sleeping maybe? Anything but dead. To her surprise, the figure moved ever-so-slightly, making Inoue jump despite herself. "Is that...really you?" She got close enough, letting out a sigh of relief when she recognized the kind giant she had become dear friends with. It _was _him.

"Inoue-san...?" he spoke, as if testing the words on his lips. His voice was rough as if it had been ages since speaking. He honestly looked terrible. Bruises covered his arms, matching the dark spots of blood all over his shirt. She immediately ducked down, summoning her powers to heal his wounds. As the golden light surrounded him, a smile crossed his lips, "So it _is _you."

After healing the majority of his major wounds, Orihime embraced him in a light hug, doing her best not to cause him any physical pain, "Yes it is. I really, truly missed you, Sado-kun."

"What are you doing here? How did you find me?" he questioned, seeking an answer in her bright eyes, regardless of the fact they could just barely see eachother. "Or rather, what has happened? The last thing I remember was fighting with one of the arrancar. We had all come to save you... I suppose I failed."

Tears built up in her eyes before embracing the man once again in a hug, "I'm so sorry Sado-kun. I did this so that you would be out of danger, not so you would put your lives in risk to find me."

His thick eyebrows shot up, "What do you mean?"

She considered her words before speaking, "Ulquoirra-sama demanded that I come with him in return for all of your lives... I didn't dare put everyone at risk for my sake." A look of sympathy covered the mexican man's face before he spoke.

"Inoue-san... I'm glad." She was taken aback by his response, feeling a slight him of betrayal from his words. "Um, I mean... Some people thought that you might have joined the arrancar by your free will. I'm glad that wasn't the case." She nodded, a smile enveloping her face. She wondered who may have considered such a thing? Did Ichigo think that she betrayed him? Oh, how she hoped he didn't.

"So, you're turn. Why did you come here?" Orihime asked softly, curiosity growing as to what had happened in her absence.

Sado relayed the entire roll of events, leaving both of them quite speechless. Orihime rubbed her nose, letting out a small sniffle, as she had no idea how to respond to his story. "Now how do you plan to have us escape from here?"

She bit her lip softly, twirling her hair with her index finger as she sat next to him. "I.. don't think that we can escape from here... If we try, surely Ulquoirra-sama would find us and punish us, then Aizen-sam--" Chad cut her off as her pace accelerated, panic growing in her voice.

"Inoue-san, we've faced the entire ranks of Soul Society, Bounto and more. You're afraid of facing your enslavers now?" His tone was harsh, but it was true. The orange-haired girl looked to the ground, feeling a tug-o-war grow inside of her thoughts. Did she dare risk her life to escape now? There was no doubt that Ulquoirra would be able to catch them should they try.

"I'm sorry, Sado-kun, but... I have to go," she stood, presenting him with a small bow before turning around. "I'll try and see you soon..."

She ran out of the room before he could get a single word in. Sado let out a long sigh, sinking back into the wall, feeling a hint of uncertainty within his thoughts. What had poor, innocent Inoue gotten herself into?

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Aya, I know Chad was slightly OOC, but I guess this is his first major appearance in the story. As much as I hate his character, he's a great when you're in a tough spot. Thanks again so much for the previous reviews. I can't even explain how much they motivate me to continue writing.

See you next chapter!!!

Vadraxia


	7. Kiss

_**A/N - **__Um.. woops? _

_Hi guys. I am so terribly sorry for the pause in updates. My life has been a rollercoaster for the past few months, and writing time was simply a dream for the most part of it. Not that now is much better. I woke up this morning, and found that I had a bit of free time, and well, this is the result of it. I am so happy that you all continued to read and comment through my absence, as that is what truly motivated me to type this little number up. _

_I can't in any way guarentee consistant updates any more, since finals are coming into sight, and summer isn't going to be all free time for me either. I did have a bit of fun typing this up though, as I tried to add my first bit of.. well.. maybe you should just read and find out :)_

_Once again, I apologize endlessly for the long period between my last updates, and my other 2 stories will probably have something coming there way before I update this once more. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope that you decide to comment at the end :)_

_Oh yes! I almost forgot. It's come to my realisation that I'm not that best self-editor for stories (hah! I can't count my mistakes on two hands in the first paragraph of each chapter), so if anyone feels kind enough to lend me some of their time with an offer to beta, I would be greatly oblidged. Just PM me, or leave a comment in your review if you'd be interested! Thanks!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ Despite my wishful thinking, Bleach still isn't mine :'(_

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She struggled to clench her eyes shut, failing at the task of not allowing any tears to reach her skin. Instead, they fell freely along her dry, round face, leaving intricate trails of moisture along her pale skin. As hard as Orihime ever tried, she couldn't stop herself crying once she started. She was such a crybaby... _Why can't I just toughen up for a change instead of relying on my tears to get me through? _She choked a sob out once more, stifling the rest of the tears for the smallest moment. Everyone always though that she needed to be protected. She always _did_ need to be protected! Pushed away from battles, chided away from arguments. Didn't anyone this that Orihime could stand on her own two feet? Obviously not. Even Urahara-san had told her to stay away, being too weak for the battle itself. She let out a sad chuckle, wiping away the tears on her face, still trying to stunt any new trails coming in. How ironic that it would end up like this.

The orange-haired woman layed on her side, facing the wall of the room that seemed all-to-familiar by now. She truly detested the room, and it's original resident. It's white walls always seemed to close in on her, making insanity an easy possibility. If only it were that easy to escape from it all. Every morning, she would be woken up, fed, and then brought to perform healings to Aizen-sama's wounded arrancar. Every day, it was the same thing. That is, until she found Sado.

It had scared the life out of her to see him like that. Strong Sado, chained and bloody in such an effortless battle. It hurt _so _much to turn him away, but if he was in that state from a single fight with one of the lesser espada... What would be the case should they try to escape from Aizen himself? She shuddered despite her attempts to shut out the fear and cold. It would be terrifying beyond belief. What scared her even more, was how Ulquoirra would react to her running off once he came back to his room. Would he beat her? Would he simply ignore her? Orihime found that both were almost beyond his character at this point. The man that seemed to be a cold-hearted, emotionless being at the start, had developed into a malicious, curious creature. Sure, not much difference if you look at it from a distance, but it seemed like even the slightest change was frightening when it came to that man.

Come to think of it, his reaction to her noticing Sado was rather odd. He... laughed at her. Any other espada, and she would have suspected it, but Ulquoirra? No, he didn't laugh. It must have been something she heard in her frantic focus. Still, he seemed more... _Ah, what's the word for it? _More.. Playful then usual. Orihime scrunched her eyebrows in focus, trying to imagine the scene once again, finding it hard to think of the man as anything more then emotionless. Yeah, perhaps it was just her imagination.

Exhaustion overcame her, as Orhime's eyelids began to droop. Despite the same view of the outside world from the window, it must have been nearing a very late hour. Through the tears, she must've not even noticed it before. Sleep was the one thing she looked forward to in this barren wasteland. The one thing that could take her away from this terrible place she now called home.

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"Inoue-san... I, uh, have something to, um, ask you?" a hestitant young boy approached her figure, a blush covering the majority of his face. Orihime turned around, a blush matching the boy, or.. mans itself.

"Y-yes, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime held her bookcase in front of her with both arms, subconciously squeezing her chest between her arms, not that it needed any emphasis. Her old school uniform always fit her quite well, as many commented. She didn't exactly understand what they ever meant by that, or why all the guys that told her that either broke out in laughter, or had faces the color of tomatos.

"Well.. I was wondering if you, uh, go out to a movie.. sometime?" He brushed the back of his head with his left hand, glancing off to the left side of her partway during his question, doing his best to focus on something very far and distant. Orihime nearly burst with excitement, eyes widening by the second. She had been waiting her entire life for this moment, and it was finally here.

"I-I'd _love _to, Kurosaki-kun!" a grin immediately enveloped his face as he turned his back to her. She stepped back a moment, confused at his sudden chuckling. He turned back to her, a mixture of humor and amusement.

"I'm sure you would." His tone changed to menacing as he bent down towards her. "You wish." Orihime stood silently, registering his words towards her. "You've always wanted me to ask you something like that, so of course you'd jump to the occassion. You've always stayed in the background, just _hoping _that I'd notice you, just _hoping _that Rukia was just a friend to me." He chuckled once more, turning around to walk away. "_You wish._"

Orihime tried to choke down her sobs to no avail, wiping them away as they came. No! Now she had to start crying _again. _She truly was a baby. Ichigo continued to walk away from her, when Rukia stepped out from the nearby doorway, hooking her arm with his. Orihime Inoue sank to her knees, choking on sobs as they walked forward, ignoring her pleas.

No! _No! _

"Pet-sama."

No!

"Wake up."

**"No!"**

"Now."

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Orihime's eyes shot open, dried tears causing her the slightest bit of pain with her eyelashes sticking together. Ulquoirra's cold voice made her jump as shivers ran up and down her spine. So it was now that she would probably be beaten and punished for disobeying him. Crap.

"Stand." His cold voice commanded, and she oblidged without comment. She deserved it for being so foolish. Perhaps it would have all been better if she had never left in the first place. She averted her empty eyes towards the ground, not bearing the pain of looking into his face. It always seemed like she was looking at some lost kitten, or an empty body whenever she looked into his eyes, and it made tears want to pour over once again. "You know that you disobeyed me today, correct?"

"Hai."

He took short strides forward, examining her face carefully as she subconciously took steps backwards as well, finding herself up against the white wall that served as her prison. "And you know that you disobeyed Aizen as well, by not listening to me?'

"Hai." She looked at the ground right by her feet, feeling guilt well up.

"And you know that you deserve to be punished for such an act?"

"Hai."

Ulquoirra brought his arm up to head's height, and Orihime flinched harshly as she heard it slam against the wall next to her head. Just ask she was about to open her eyes from the impact, she felt something warm press against her trembling lips.

Her eyes shot open in shock as she found the cold-hearted espada's face right in front of hers, his lips pressing forcefully on hers. He was leaning over her body, so close, that she could feel the heat coming from his frail figure. Her heard pounded as he bit softly against her bottom lip, as if asking permission for entry. She tried to back away, but he had her trapped against the wall, unable to escape. Unable to stare at him any longer in fear, she shut her eyes. He bit rather harshly on her lip, and she let out a soft moan, giving him just the time he needed for his tongue to make it's way into her dry mouth. He tasted like peppermint, she noted although she wish she hadn't.

What was she doing? Was she letting him doing this to her? This kiss... it belonged to Kurosaki-kun, and his alone. If so, why did it feel so good? Orihime forced herself not to respond to his playful motions with his tongue, but each time, it became harder and harder.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he broke again, leaving her gasping for much-needed air. She had done it. She hadn't succumbed to him and remained still through the entire thing. Sweat beaded her forehead as she sunk down in shame for allowing herself to be trapped. _Was that my punishment? _Her lips tingled in excitement, and she reached up to touch them with her trembling hand. Ulquoirra stepped back a few steps before kneeling down to her level, a smirk threatening to show on his lips. "Consider that your punishment"

Her eyes shot towards his, tears once again threatening to spill over her lids. No! She wouldn't cry from something like this. She wouldn't let herself. How long would it be until all of her tears were completely dried up? The cold-hearted espada reached out his hand, trailing a finger just below her right eye. Orihime flinched in surprise at it's tenderness, but he pulled it away immediately, standing before starting towards the door.

"I look forward to punishing you again."

---

Ulquoirra strode through the empty halls of Las Noches, his hands stuffed abstently in his pockets while watching his feet. That.. didn't turn out has he had planned at all. After reporting to Aizen about her disobeying him, the older man had simply smirked and replied with "Just... show her who's boss." Originally he had planned to give her the odd strike or two just to set her in her place, but after she was up against the wall, another force took over.

He sighed absently, inwardly cursing himself for loosing sight of his objective. Not that anyone would know about what he had done. Knowing that woman, she wouldn't have the guts to confess it to anyone other then her inner worries. The look on her face after he had kissed her was... interesting. It seemed to be almost a mix of fear and shame. Not something that he had expected.

From what he had heard, kissing was supposed to be a delightful experience that made someone happy, but it almost had the reverse effect on that orange-haired woman. _I wonder why.. _

The human heart was certainly a curious thing. Something far beyond his broad understanding.

Ulquoirra continued along the open corridors, looking for some sort of exit. He needed air.

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_Well, there's that. Yeah, I know. I __suck__ at writing kissing or things like that, as I'm ashamed to say I really have nothing to go by blush. It's not the longest chapter, but at least it's out. Once again, if you have any interest in beta'ing my story (or even one of the other two that I write), just leave me a comment on that specific story, and I'll be in contact with you. Also, if anyone has any suggestions on how I can improve my kissing scenes for.. er.. future reference, please suggest!_

_Ugh, I still feel so bad about waiting so long to get this out, and I hate to do this, but I'm going to try and follow this new plan. With __**5 **__updates, I will begin writing the next chapter. With __**10,**__ I will do my best to post it. I know it's cheap, but I like to know that people are actually interesting in what I'm writing if I spend the time to do it._

_See you next time!_

_Vadraxia_


	8. Trapped

_**A/N - Thanks so much for all the reviews this time guys. I was so pleased that the last chapter was so well recieved. I was pretty hesitant to ask for the review numbers, but I feel a little better, knowing that it isn't impossible to get that amount. I just hope that I can keep it up for upcoming chapters. This time wasn't too bad, but finals are coming up, so no guarentee of chapters right after 10. Who knows, maybe I'll get excited and post one before I even get them :D I'm weird that way.**_

_**Anyways, thanks again for the wonderful reviews. I'm excited to see any speculations of the upcoming events for this story. Yay for possible Grimmjow acitivity:3**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**_

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"I have a new assignment for you today, Ulquiorra." Bright aquamarine eyes met Aizen's cold, brown gaze as he sat upon his god-like pedestal, staring down on each and every one of the members of his Espada. He had always been fascinated by the ethereal being of his creator, and his creator had always looked at him as if he were some sort of mistake, a crime that he had no intention of dealing with. Even though he could realise that fact, the 4th espada found it nearly impossible to ever disobey one of his commands.

"Hai, Aizen-sama?" He replied with the utmost curtosy as he heard a familiar scoff from behind him, obviously coming from the 6th member of their group. Grimmjow Jaggarjack. He did his best to simply ignore the frank remarks made behind his back every-so-often, but soon enough, that man would realise that he wasn't someone to make jokes out of.

"I need you to go.. check in on our visitors, if you would be so kind." Aizen continued, ignoring the whispers among the other arrancar about him picking "favourites". A light tinge of humor hinted his voice as he rested his head on his hand. It wasn't like Ichigo and the others needed any meddling to ensure that they wouldn't survive. They were doing well enough by losing on their own. But just to be sure...

"Of course." Ulquiorra stated, the words almost out of his mouth before he even considered the command itself. How obediant he had become over the years. It was truly pathetic. He stood, turning his back to the throne as he began to walk out of the room, arms slack to his side.

"Oh, do wait a minute Ulquiorra. I want you to take someone with you." The tall, brown-haired man stood, looking around slowly before turning to his immediate left. "Gin, would you be so kind as to accompany Ulquiorra in his task?" A grin enveloped both of their faces as the white-haired former-captain stepped forward from the wall, giving a small bow to his superior.

"Sure thing, Aizen-_sama!" _the fox-like man grinned, while Ulquoirra nearly flinched at hearing Aizen being referred to in such a childish voice and manner. "Let's go, Ulquiorra-kun."

He kept a straight face as he bent down in a short bow for his denied superior. This man in no way matched up to Aizen-sama. How dare he even contemplate being so familiar with the man. Nevertheless, it was his duty to obey his orders, even though he acted as a cheap imitation to the real thing. "Hai, Ichimaru-sama."

They both departed through the door, Ulquiorra trailing very shortly behind the white-haired man, soon stepping out of sight to everyone in the large room. Silence ensued for what seemed like the shortest of moments before all of the remaining espada broke into small conversation with eachother, filling the room with unneccisary noise. Aizen continued to stare towards the door with a glazed over expression while contemplating how this series of events _should _work out. His attention was immediately caught as one of the espada stood from it's spot, turning towards him.

"Tch. Aizen-sama." Grimmjow addressed, making sure that he didn't sound too casual. It wasn't smart to act rude to someone when you were about to ask a favor of them, or so he'd heard.

"Yes, Grimmjow?" Aizen cocked his head upright, staring at the teal-haired man while lowering his arm to rest on the front of his chair.

"Any chance you'd let me take care of that woman while Ulquiorra is off on whatever you wanted him to do?" He directed his gaze to the ground off to the right, trying not to sound too excited for the chance. "Er.. since he's the one taking care of her, that is. Might not be best to let her starve, right?"

Aizen stared at Grimmjow for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what he might be thinking at the very moment. "How very thoughtful of you." The brown-haired man nearly laughed as he heard a defiant scoff erupt from the arrancar. "I'd be delighted if you'd take up that opportunity, Grimmjow."

The teal haired arrancar smirked just small enough not to take notice as he bowed to his master, his hands still stuffed in his pockets. Without another word, he turned towards the door, walking in his usual slouched fashion. His smirk quickly grew into a full-blown grin, showing off all of his teeth as thoughts swirled around in his head.

_That bastard Ulquiorra will find out exactly what it means to mess with someone like me._

---

Orihime sat slumped against the cold wall, hugging her legs in front of her while burying her head on top of them. Guilt seemed to spill through each and every one of her pours as time went on. At first, she had done her best to convince herself that she hadn't done a single thing wrong, but she was kidding herself with that. She had just sat there as that cold beast took the first thing she had ever planned to give someone like Kurosaki-kun. That... monster. Hatred brimmed her emotions, but she did her best to push it back, remembering her brothers constant reminder to never pin her mistakes on others.

It was times like this where she really missed her brother. In fact, she truly missed _everyone. _Now she completely understood how Kuchiki-san must have felt when she was kept in Soul Society. One vague question popped into her head from who-knows-where. _I wonder if Renji-kun ever tried to kiss Kuchiki-san..._ A blush enveloped her face before shaking her head to rid herself of the thought. A little too hard it seemed, as one of her pins fell from her orange hair.

Picking it up, Orihime smiled at the constant reminder of her inner strength. It was interesting that the only reason she had this recognition was because of Ichigo. He was the one who bestowed these powers onto her, even though it wasn't his real purpose. It was only because of that, that she had been allowed to fight alongside everyone in the Soul Society. Not that it mattered anymore... As Urahara-san had said, she was too weak. There was no way that she could match up to the power of someone like Kuchiki-san. That's why she was taken off the front lines.

Orihime Inoue stood, using the wall as a guide, finding that her knees where quite weak. How long had she simply sat there? It felt like only minutes, but of course it had been much longer since Ulquiorra had left the room. _I look forward to punishing you again. _Shivers ran up and down her arms as goosebumps formed to meet them. Scary...

As if on cue, the large white door to the room began to slide open, and Orihime inhaled sharply in fear of facing the cold espada once again. She stood, straightening out her posture, making sure that she didn't look weak or tired. That was the last thing she should be doing. Instead of the raven-haired man walking through the door, Orihime was shocked to recognize a different man, the man going by the name Grimmjow.

The grin covering his face sent another wave of shivers up and down her spine as he turned his face to meet hers. "Yo, Pet-sama." She stepped off the wall, holding her arms in front of her while performing a _very _small bow to the teal-haired man. A frown covered her face as she remained silent. "What, not happy to see me?" He let out a small bark of laughter, and Orihime jumped slightly when she saw the mask on his right side react with his mouth movements, following his prominent jaw line.

"Where's Ulquiorra-sama?" She managed to speak, her voice extremely timid, knowing full-well the danger and spontinuity of the man. She didn't want to provoke him in any way more then neccisary.

"Aww, does our little princess miss him?" His grin turned into a snide frown as he turned his whole body towards hers. "He's.. going out for a bit on a little errand." Curiosity appeared on Orihime's face, but she remained silent as he continued, "I asked Aizen-sama if he'd be alright with me... looking after you for a bit."

She bit her bottom lip in sudden fright. There was no way that she would have this monster look after her. _Monster_. Sudden recognition hit her as she realised that there really wasn't that much difference between Grimmjow, and that monster Ulquiorra. Or at least, she tried to tell herself that. "Of course Grimmjow-sama. Thank you for being so considera-"

"Ha! Considerate?" He took a few steps towards her small figure, "Lets not toss around words here Pet-sama. There's no way in hell that I'd ever be considerate about someone like you. I'm only doing this to tick that friggin bastard Ulquiorra off, you understand?" She swallowed roughly, giving a nod after a moment.

_Just to tick Ulquiorra off? How does he figure taking care of me will upset him? _Brushing it off, she gave him another bow, this one slightly deeper "Of course Grimmjow-sama." Better to play it safe. The teal-haired arrancar watched her face for a moment before giving a gruff nod, turning back towards the door.

"I'll be back later to feed you, understand?"

"Hai, Grimmjow-sama."

He nodded once more, slouching as he strode out of her room. She let out a long breath as the door finally slid close.

She was safe, at least until he came back.

---

Dark tunnels opened into a large, bright room as Ulquiorra continued forward, Ichimaru Gin following behind him, observing every single move he made. He hadn't spoken a single word throughout the whole time, and considering the man, that made him nervous. "Do you know where we're going?"

Ulquiorra stopped, glancing around for a moment before turning to face his _travelling partner. _"Ah, should I?" The black-haired espada frowned, turning back in front of him before closing his eyes to attempt sensing for any intruduous spirit energies.

"It seems like everyone is on the opposite sides of Las Noches," Ulquiorra nearly sighed at the extra amount of work he'd be expected to complete.

Ichimaru closed his eyes as well, his grin staying consistant as he tucked his hand within the sleeve of the other. "Ah, looks like yer right." He laughed for a moment, stepping slightly in front of Ulquiorra. "Doesn't matter."

"What do you mean?" he asked, turning his head to view Ichimaru's fox-like face.

"Well, it's not like Aizen-sama asked ya to come all the way out here for somethin' like that" Gin turned his face, his red eyes meeting the aquamarine orbs in front of him. "Nah, he felt like ya needed somethin' else."

"What are you taking about, Ichimaru-sama? Why would Aizen-sama ask me to come out here with you if not for the intruders?"

If it was even possible, it seemed that the fox-faced mans grin grew as his gaze returned to his front, "Ah, he just felt like ya needed t'be taught a little lesson for being all irresponsible and such"

"Once again, what are you talking about? When was I irresponsible?" Ulquiorra stepped back subconciously at the dangerous aura radiating from his superior. It took all his willpower not to reach for the sword at his waist.

"Oh, I think y'know when." Gin moved his right arm around to his left side, making his gestures well known that he was reaching for his sword. "You didn't think that we had security cameras or nothing in your room?"

Ulquiorra's eyes shot open as a sudden burst of reiatsu hit him head on.

"Shoot him dead, Shinsou."

---

_**Ah, well, there's chapter 8 for you. I'm going to give the review thing a shot again this time, so 10 reviews, and I'll do my best to get the chapter out for you right afterwards. No guarentees, but it actually helps motivate me to get my butt in gear and start writing. I know that some of these events might seem close-tied to the manga, but in reality, I had quite a deal of this planned out before the manga had some of the events that have occured lately. Oh well.**_

_**Please review!! **_

_**See you after 10,**_

_**  
Vadraxia :3**_


	9. Observation

_**A/N - Well, I'm heading up-island to hang with my dad for a day or so before heading back down the very next day. It'll be busy, but I found some time tonight to type some stuff up for you guys. I wasn't planning on doing anything at least until I got back, but I realised how busy I would be, and I truly wouldn't have any time to do anything.**_

_**That being said, I really appreciate you guys dishing out at least the 10 reviews a chapter, and it is still motivated me, but I'm doing my best to bring a chapter after that number. This time it didn't work so well, but I was very happy to still be getting reviews after this amount of time. It makes me much more willing to write things like this on the spur of a moment.**_

_**Now, to address some comments: **_

_**To Wings - **__Hmm, your theory really makes me curious. I mean, it's definitely a possibility that could be it, but I don't think it would be just as simple as the three head honchos being the top 3. I think that the only way that'd work, is if they were all secretly arrancars. I mean, it'd work. Aizen could just use the gem thingy to make them all arrancar, and whoopdy doo. Now that I think about it, I think they might pull something like that out at last minute to surprise everyone. Good idea though!_

_**To Winterblues - **__Ahh, I cannot express how much I can relate to your question. It really makes me wonder what he might have looked like as a full hollow Imagines menacing monster with tiny tear marks on his skull. Hehe. Nice._

_**To everyone else that reviewed- **__THANKS! I luv you all!_

---

Ulquoirra lurched back in alarm as the silver blade lengthened itself, the point focused directly towards his heart. Gin's wide smirk remained in tact, regardless of the difficult situation, while the arrancar dodged to the side of the blade, watching as Shinsou returned to it's normal size.

"What's the meaning of this Ichimaru-sama?! Why are you attacking me?" He couldn't help the rising panic in his voice, but he managed to mask the majority of it away, not wanting his white-haired leader to assume he was afraid. Being afraid would tell him that he was weak. That was the very last thing that he needed.

The formed 3rd squad captain reached his left lanky arm up to scratch the back of his head while holding out his sword in a lazy manner, It was incredible how care-free the man could be, when his heart was pacing at a rate far beyond anything human. "I already told ya! Aizen-sama wants me ta teach you a little lesson fer being all free-willed and such" Slight confusion remained etched on Ulquoirra's face as Gin let out another long-lived sigh. "We all know."

"Know what?" His eyes narrowed as Ichimaru Gin took some small steps towards his stationary figure.

"Tch. We know that y'kissed that hime girl."

Ulquoirra's eyes shot open as Shinsou was set at him once again, this time reaching for his own weapon. _No! No, no, no! If they know about me disobeying Aizen-sama... They'll kill me. _Dammit.

The raven-haired arrancar pulled his blade forth and struck Shinsou, the force of the contact sending him backwards. Before he could react, he sensed the dangerous reiatsu disappear from his front, and quickly flash behind him. _Too fast! _While spinning around to meet him, he felt something hard on the back of his neck before the world became dark.

---

"You're gonna eat, or I'm gonna make you eat!" Grimmjow shouted out of frusturation towards the stubborn orange-haired girl. No matter how many times he insisted, she refused to eat anything he brought her. He was starting to wonder why Ulquoirra never complained. _Maybe... _Different thoughts sorted around in his head as she turned her face away from his.

"I'm not hungry."

"Ahh, dammit, I don't care if you're hungry or not! Just eat so I can leave!" He retorted, sticking his right hand on his waist while cocking his head to the side.

"I don't need any food." She responded simply. Grimmjow was astounded by the fact that she remained calm, even up against him. Even some of the other arrancars within Aizen's forces trembled at the sight of him. Humans were even worse.

"Of course you do! You'll waste away to nothing if you don't eat," he growled, aggravation growing by the second. Sure, she was anything but wasting away. If anything, her form was better then some of the other females humans he had ever seen. She was so.. well _rounded. _He smirked to himself as a few suggestive thoughts wormed themselves into his skull, and they soon erupted into a fullblown laugh.

Orihime spun around, frightened at his sudden outburst. What if he had finally lost it? Not another insane one to look after her. He began taking quick paces towards her, and she inhaled sharply, turning her full body towards him, making sure not to be caught off guard by whatever he'd do next.

Grimmjow burst forward, catching the orange-haired woman off-guard by slamming his right hand into her right shoulder, holding her against the wall. He leaned over her, taking full advantage of his height against hers. He could feel her shaking under his hand. _Finally, she has the right mind to show that she's afraid. _Leaning forward, he smelled the top of her head, relishing in it's sweet mixture of cherry blossoms and ginger.

"G-g-get away from me..." he heard a small voice from underneath him. Hoping to get a better sound if he was closer, he ducked down to the same level of her face.

"What was that woman?" He smirked, placing his left hand on her trembling hip. "You need to speak up."

"Get off of me" she repeated, her high pitched voice gaining a very small amount of strength to it. She let out a small yelp as he moved closer to her, their bodies both touching. His left hand tightened around her waste, pain growing from the grip. She didn't dare break down now. She promised herself she wouldn't cry.

"That's more like it. You won't last here if you don't show some strength, little princess," the last, he spoke in the most condesending tone he could muster up, Before any argument could be raised, he bent forward even further, biting down on her bottom lip. The distinct taste of blood came into her senses as something warm trickles down her chin. Tears came to the corner of her eyes, but she squeezed both of them tight as he started to kiss her. This wasn't the same as before with Ulquiorra.

This time, it wasn't anywhere near enjoyable.

Just as he came back for a breath, she pulled up all of the willpower she could to deliver a firm slap to the mask-less side of his face. He jumped back, letting out a bark of laughter as Orihime brought her hand up to her lips, attempting to wipe away the growing amount of blood on her chin. Dark red splotches now stained her perfectly white gown as she gasped and coughed, trying to regain her breath. "You bastard. Get out."

He continued to howl in laughed as he stuck both arms on his hips. "You're too easy!" he continued, licking his lips as if savoring the taste that he had retrieved. It sickened her that she was being tossed around by all of these men like some sort of doll.

"Just wait until Ulquoirra-sama hears about this!" She retorted before even realising it. The look on Grimmjow's face made her worried that she could have said something a lot more practical.

"Hahaha! Ulquoirra-_sama! _I'll be surprised if he ever shows up again after what Aizen-sama will do to him."

Orihime backed herself against the cold, white wall, "What do you mean?! What have you done?"

"Ahh, I haven't done anything. It's him that's being punished for trying to have his way with you." Her eyes shot open in alarm at his harsh words. _No! He was being punished for what he did to me? That.. isn't human. _What was she saying? He could go burn in hell for being the bastard that he was, or at least that was what she had been telling herself for the past day. Is that was the thought, why was she so worried to not have him around?

---

Aizen laughed snidely under his breath as the monitor shut off from before him. Some might consider him a bit of a "peeping tom" for his recent actions, but how else was he supposed to keep up with all of his subordinates. Gin would be returning with Ulquoirra. Grimmjow shall be punished for disobeying him, and every other thing in Las Noches was under control. When Tousen had asked earlier why he would punish either Ulquoirra or Grimmjow for doing something so trivial, he had simply responded with, "They're hollows. It wouldn't be fair to let them have a taste of something they'll never have.

He still stood by that, and Grimmjow would learn the same lesson, even though his intentions were obviously far different. It just figures that some of the strongest of his group had to have that sort of curiosity. It was almost like everyone was out just to cause _him _problems.

Yet, at the same time, he was curious to see how the arrancar worked around the human girl, and how they responded to things that were so trivial only a short time ago. He could have easily placed he with Halibel's care, but he was far too cuious to see what would happen if he had done that. Besides, with Halibel's attitude, she might not have survived very long on her own. She wasn't exactly... the most hospital of women.

It was just at the brink of Winter in the real world right about now, which meant that it was nearly time. Nearly time for his plan to be set into motion, and the King's Key to be created. It was all finally coming together, but the most difficult part was still to come. Any day now, Soul Society would send the most elite of teams to eliminate his teams, along with himself and the two others traitors of Soul Society's hierarchy. It almost made him laugh how much they believed they would succeed.

Who knows, they might end up slaying a good number of his espada, but the numbers that he had simply could not be beat. He had the powers of all the hollows in Heuco Mundo at his aid, and it would not go unnoticed by his visitors. In fact, it was his sole purpose to wipe out the center of their forces, and pick up the stragglers for his own group. That old man will finally learn what total defeat means.

Then, the king's key will come into play. Still a little ways off, but Karakura town was as good as finished by his own hands.

Yes, everything was coming together now, and his excitement grew with every passing day. Soul Society would be no problem, his espada would learn their place, and his forces would win.

He was sure of that.

---

_Wow, sex deprived Grimmjow, scared Ulquoirra, and pedophile Aizen. Heh, I hope that chapter served as a bit of fanservice, along with answering a few questions. It was kind of fun to write, but I must say, I already forget half of what I wrote. _

_Any huge mistakes, I purely blame on the fact that I know I have to wake up in about 5 hours to drive for 3, and I'm exhausted already. Here I come bed! _

_**10 reviews plz! **_

_They truly motivate me, and I'll try and do better to get it closer to that 10 now that school is out._

_Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Cookies to those that review )_


	10. Comfort

**A/N – **Oh man. I don't even know where to start. First off, I'm _**SO **_sorry for taking so long to update. I know that it's my own story, and I can update as little or as much as I want, but I still feel so bad when you guys have offered me so much support in the past. I've had a whirlwind of a summer, with plays, drama, and some no-so-acting type drama as well. Basically, due to some circumstances, I'm now homeschooling, so it's been a weird summer.

I got some inspiration to write tonight after helping with a new Bleach story that just came around, called Defying Fate, written by David Knight. It's worth checking out, and it has a lot of potential!

Anyways, I'll let you read some more and then whine a bit once you finish, so I hope you enjoy, and I want to say again that I thank you all for your constant support and reviews even after months of no updates. Those are the things that really got me to start writing tonight, and I probably would've waited a lot longer without them. Thanks!

**Disclaimer : I do not own Bleach, or anything regarding Bleach! They all belong to Kubo Tite!**

**----**

Orihime sat, huddled in a corner trying to bring some warmth into her body. Had it always been this cold in this small little moonlit room? She tried to tell herself that she wasn't as vulnerable as she seemed at the moment, but all that played in her mind was the frightening vision of Grimmjow, that haughty smirk lining every inch of his face, only hidden by the sharp jaws of his mask.

She hated to admit it, but compared to that beast, she almost preferred Ulquiorra.

No. That wasn't true.

Was it?

She shook her head, strands of orange falling out from behind her shoulders. Orange. Kurosaki-kun. Orihime let out a sigh of desperation, trying to figure out why everything she had to think about was so depressing! She raised her head, taking a deep breath before placing a hard-fought for smile on her round face.

"In a minute, Kurosaki-kun, Rukia-san, Ishida-kun, Abarai-kun, and anyone else who came here will burst through this door and rescue me!" she grinned, letting out a forced laugh, attempting to make herself feel better.

Those laughs soon quieted out, as she had to bite on her lower lip to stop herself from crying. She wouldn't cry. Crying meant that she was weak, and this was no place to be weak.

Not now at least.

Taking one more look up at the moon, she remembered that one night when she had been standing there, admiring it's beauty when Ulquiorra walked in, alerting her that her friends were in Hueco Mundo. That was the moment that her heart stopped beating, if only for a minute. All of this fighting and bloodshed, for her? No... This couldn't only be about her.

Orihime placed her head back on her knees, closing her eyes for a moment before drifting off into unintentional slumber.

---

She hated when the hallways were this empty. It was too boring. Nothing fun ever happened when there was only her to cause trouble. That way, she had no one else to blame it on. Mind you, she had something very specific to blame at this point of time.

Twirling her curly black hair around her finger, Chirucchi strode through the hallways, partially trying to remember where she was going, and partially trying to remember why she was going in the first place. It really wasn't her style to be doing this.. but it just made her_ so _damn pissed!

Finding the location she was looking for, she burst through the doorway, not even concerned about interrupting anything. It wasn't a secret that Ulquiorra was AWOL.

"HIME! GET YOUR ASS OFF THAT FLOOR AND STOP MOPING AROUND!" she shouted, once again, not concerned in the slightest about who heard her. They could all suck it and die for all she cared.

The woman visibly jumped at her welcome, giving Chirucchi a small grin of happiness and knowing that she hadn't lost her thunder after getting beaten by that pansy Quincy.

"C-Chirucchi-san!" she spoke in alarm, as if expecting someone else. Her high pitched voice seemed minuscule in comparison to the volume that she usually admitted, but that was probably one of the reasons that she could stand being around the woman. "What are you doing here?!"

She gave a light scoff, feeling that she probably shouldn't have come in the first place, "I heard what happened, and I wondered if..." she took a pause, really hating these sort of things. "I wanted to know if you needed someone's ass kicked?"

The hime's face was priceless, a perfect mixture of astonishment, depression, laughter and fright all at the same time. Chirucchi wasn't even aware that there were so many emotions that could run through someone's head at one time. Then again, she was never a very emotive person in the first place.

"Uh... h-huh?" she returned, obviously unsure about how she should respond. "H-how did you know?"

"Are you serious?"

"Um.. maybe?"

She rolled her eyes, bringing a fist out in front of her, quite obviously angry. "I'm surprised you don't have every arrancar in Las Noches knocking on your door considering how that bastard Grimmjow just won't shut up about how you "threw" yourself at him." She saw the woman's eyes open wider, and a sharp intake of breath. She knew it couldn't be true. "Well, at least nobody believes him."

"They don't?"

"Nah, nobody here's too fond of Grimmjow. Too much hot air." Chirucchi gave out a small laugh as if thinking about some sort of inside joke. "Besides, you'd be surprised with how many arrancar have respect for you here. I mean, not like the _entire _group, but more then a handful think that you're too good for him."

Orihime gave a weak smile at her attempt at a joke before standing, giving a small, formal bow to t he pixie-like girl. "Thank you Chirucchi-san."

"Ugh, would you stop that? Chirucchi is good enough if you're letting me call you by nicknames!" she protested, placing both of her hands on her small hips, leaning forward while sticking out a tongue. Orihime gave a small laugh, sitting back down on the ground.

There was silence for a few moment until she decided to speak up again, "so what happened anyways?"

"With Grimmjow?"

"Yeah." She let out a small sigh, biting down on her bottom lip. It wasn't until then that I noticed the small bruise just below her bottom lip.

Oh.

"He was laughing at me for not listening to him or being afraid of him, then he pinned me up against the wall and... kissed me." a small involuntary blush rose to her cheeks simply at the thought of someone kissing her. "It was a surprise..."

"No kidding," Chirucchi sympathized, sitting down in front of the woman with her legs spread out in front of her. "What a jerk."

They were talking for a few moments, simply enjoying someone else's company when a loud bell echoed through the halls, reaching even the solitude of the espada's private quarters where they were sitting.

"Oh crap, I've gotta go," Chirucchi growled, angry at being interrupted when she was actually having a decent time.

Orihime gave a curt nod in response, "I understand."

"Alright, now you listen! If Grimmjow gives you any more trouble, let me know! He may be number 6, but I'll still give him something to be sorry about!" she almost screamed as she ran out of the room, making her point clear that she wasn't afraid of him. She gave the pixie-like arrancar a small wave before sitting herself down in the middle of the room, staring up at the window. It was nice to have some decent company for a change. Decent, as in someone who didn't have the sole purpose of either torturing her, or having their way with her.

Yeah, she really missed decent company.

---

Groggy, he awoke, feeling the blaring heat of lamps surrounding him, blinding him right as he opened his eyes. He never _did _like too much light. Sitting up, Ulquiorra was hit with a terrible wave of dizziness, finding it difficult to even think straight as he looked around, taking in his surroundings.

His head hurt like crazy, as if it had been slammed into cement several times over. He lifted his hand, running it over his hair to check for any large bumps to signify just that. Finding nothing, he moved to his mask fragment, his hand stopping, rigid, when he came across something he hoped he would never have to deal with.

A crack.

Dear lord, anything but that. Sure it may seem like it was nothing more then a fault or a crack in a building, or a wall, but it was an entirely different thing when it came to an arrancar's mask.

The mask symbolized their existence, their lives. If that were to be cracked in half, there was nothing left of the arrancar. They would truly die.

Ulquiorra cursed under his breath for being so foolish as to let this happen. It was nothing major right now, but if that crack deepened, he wasn't sure what would happen, but he didn't want to find out. Surely he would be the talk of many once he returned to the rest of the espada. Hopefully it wasn't too bad. He didn't want to be as well known as Neliell had been for her mask cracking. That was not the sort of fame he wanted to acquire.

His panicking thoughts where interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming from his right. Jumping off the examination table, he turned his whole body towards the intruder, ignoring the piercing pain coming from every single bone in his body.

"Good to see that you've recovered," the man laughed, coming into the light. Aizen looked the same as always, an amused expression covering his eyes as he held his arms to his side.

Ulquiorra gave a curt bow, almost out of habit, "thank you for your concern, Aizen-sama. I hope to be assistance to you in a short time after I heal completely."

"Ah yes, we'll have Orihime-san fix you up completely once you return. It'd be no good to have you limping around when you're needed." His eyes flickered for a moment, his expression changing as he feigned innocence, "Speaking of which..."

"Forgive me Aizen-sama, it will not happen again," Ulquiorra burst in immediately, knowing what was coming due to his foolish impulsive actions. He couldn't even recall now what had made him decide to kiss the woman, but he knew it had been a bad human-like impulse that he refused to give into again.

"Please let me finish," Aizen noted politely, and the 4th espada cringed, realizing that he had just interrupted the man who ruled his existance.

"I'm sorry, Aizen-sama."

"What I was going to say, was that I'm not going to stop you from doing whatever you want with that woman, only that it's not something you will get freely." Amusement etched every inch of his face as he watched for Ulquiorra's reaction to his words.

"Pardon me?" he responded, unsure of his leader's words.

Aizen walked a few steps closer, raising his head to inspect the espada's mask fragment, "You must have noticed that you have a considerable crack in your mask. What I'm saying, is that if you want to have any sort of relationship with this woman, it's going to cost you."

Ulquiorra's eyes widened, finally understanding what Aizen was meaning. If he were to have a relationship with Orihime, then his mask would crack. It was a frightening thought, but was was even more frightening, was the fact that he felt something in his stomach. Fear? No... Dissapointment.

"You have no reason to worry about that Aizen-sama, for I have no intention of getting friendly with that woman ever again." Aizen Sousuke gave a small smirk before nodding, as if calculating something in his head.

"I understand. Good luck then. You're free to return."

Aizen turned his back, walking back down the hallway that he had come in, leaving Ulquiorra standing there, unsure of his next actions.

_Never again._

Whew, and there you go! Didn't take me too long, but I've really got to do to the bathroom now after drinking I don't know how much cranberry juice. Uugh, I think I might be getting sick.

How about I whine a little MORE now! Haha, sorry, I've sort of been in that sort of mood lately, but it's all good. I'm just happy that I now know where this story is headed, thanks to my awesome sister!!! Yay! It feels great to know where something is going after fumbling around in the dark for so long.

So.. I'm going to just say 10 updates, please, but I mean, I understand after being so unfaithful to my update schedule. If you do have a minute to spare though, please just press that periwinkle button and write what you thought, as it will make me bring out the next chapter quicker. Oh yes! And I plan to update my other 2 stories shortly as well, for those that read them. Yes, that means Regret too! The long awaited GinxRangiku fanfiction that I've been procrastinating writing. Anyways, too much talking for me. It's getting pretty late, so I'm gonna plan my next chapters and head off to bed! Thanks again so much and I hope I can update prettty soon!

See you soon! 3 huggles Ulquiorra plushie"


	11. Temptation

**A/N -** Whew, so here is chapter 11. Hard to believe it's that many already. Seems just like yesterday that I was writing up chapter 1 D Oh man, how cheesy it that? Anyways, I lied about updating my other stories first, but I'm really just not sure, and it's nice to be able to go back to this and know what I'm doing. I apologize as this might not be the most interesting chapter, but it is neccesary. Next chapter should be a little more exciting.

I appreciate that you guys still gave me my 10 reviews even though I've been a lame-o and not updated in so long. That means a lot to me 3

Regarding the reviews, I recieved a lot of nice onces for the last chapter, so thanks very much! This chapter was a little spur of the moment, so I guess I could say that the reviews really inspired me just to get it done and write it, even though it's almost 1 in the morning now... Forgive any possible mistakes in this chapter, as I don't use a beta, nor do I use sleep at the moment, hehe.

Enjoy!

_**Disclaimer: I own Bleach detergent, but not the anime/manga itself. That belongs to Kubo Tite.**_

* * *

"Pet-sama, heal me." his voice shot towards the still figure out of nowhere as Orihime gave a noticeable jump. She turned around quickly, staying seated as her eyes widened at the sight of the familiar esapada.

"Ulquiorra-sama! Where have yo--" she stopped, biting her lip as she noticed the dangerous glint in his eye, taking the hint that now was not the time to ask questions.

Orihime gulped, wiping her hands on the side of her white espada-style dress. Ulquiorra gave another impatient glance before she spoke again, "Yes?"

"I'm... somewhat injured. Heal me now, then you're going back to the infirmary to continue your healing process." he stated, leaving no room for arguments. He had been much too lax on her treatment, and would not allow himself to be weak again.

"Yes Ulquiorra-sama" Orihime nearly whispered, feeling extremely uncomfortable around the man. Granted, the last time she had seem him, he had forced her against the wall "punishing her". It was expected that they weren't on the best circumstances.

She walked over to where he stood, licking her lips out of nervousness as she looks for the apparent wound. Finding nothing, she gave him a questioning look,

"It's in the bones..." he returned, not even looking her way as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his coat. She gave a nod, bending down to summon her powers.

"Souten Kishun, I reject..."

Ulquiorra did his best to try and occupy himself by staring at the wall over his right shoulder, but even his self discipline couldn't keep his eyes from straying.

He glanced over towards the women standing to his left, kneeling down to heal him. A determined look etched her face, but her eyes held a different story filled with concern and regret.

He almost felt jealous, for he could tell that she felt so much from so little. What might it be like to understand true human emotions? The only emotion he had ever been able to recognize was wholeness. He felt that every time that he killed to serve another, namely Aizen.

It had been a while since he felt that, and perhaps that's why he felt a slight tug of yearning whenever he saw emotions flash across the young girl's face.

Yes, that explained it.

Why else would he want to be around such a... strange creature for such a long time, if not for something that she had? He shut his eyes after they strayed to her lips, pierced tightly together, shiny and wet. He gave a scoff of disgust with himself as he returned to staring at the walls.

"Um.. Ulquiorra-sama?" His heart gave a jump as her small pixie-like voice broke through his solitude. He looked over at her, gray eyes staring up to meet his own. "I need you to sit if I am to heal it all... Um. If that's alright w-with you."

Her voice, so timid, so afraid. Was she afraid of his ability to crush her if he so desired? Most likely. Without protesting, he knelt down, leaning on his knees in hopes of not getting his white uniform stained and dirty from the ground.

Her hand brushed his shoulder as she moved her hands to create a new barrier around his body, and he flinched at the contact. Her hand was so warm, that it felt like touching fire. Burning on contact, but cold and empty afterwards during the ache.

Ulquiorra gave a short shake of his head, returning his thoughts to something more... relevant. Why was he stuck here guarding this woman while he should be out in the midst of Las Noches killing the invaders? It was beyond him as to why Aizen-sama saw it necessary to keep them to close to his base when they could be rid of without too much problems.

The strong one had already been captured, the shinigami and the quincy were to be finished off at any point. Who knew where Kurosaki Ichigo was at by now. For all he knew, he could be a short distance away, waiting till he was weak before busting in and taking back his.. friend and leaving.

Ulquiorra's stomach clenched at the thought, his fists tightening as he thought about being outsmarted by such a brute.

Orihime noted his clenched fists as she continued to focus on his wounds. She grew uneasy, hoping that his anger was not because of something she had done. She hadn't been treated unfairly exactly in most circumstances here, but she didn't want to find out what an angry espada would do if she went too far.

"Are you almost done yet?" Ulquiorra frowned impatiently, turning his head to face to her. Their eyes met, and a moment of silence erupted before she gave a short nod, returning to finish her work. He turned back, not wanting to look at her, but not wanting to look away.

For what seemed like ages, she focused, almost finishing. It must have only been a few minutes, but it seemed to go on and on with the endless silence before she decided to break it, "Ulquiorra-sama..." she flinched as he started to turn his head to look at her. "What happened?"

He gave a quiet scoff to himself, considering just ignoring her speaking. After all, it was none of her business. It would be rude not to answer though... Then again, since when did he worry about being rude?

"Nothing."

That was that. Orihime returned to her work, knowing that she wouldn't get any more out of the cold espada. Even though she had only been here for a short while, it seemed like she began to understand him more and more each time that they talked, being able to analyze him better then most people.

"Done" Orihime breathed a sigh of relief as she sensed his bones realigning fully and becoming strong again, as they must have been before he had gotten himself injured in some sort of way. Whatever it was, she had rejected it.

Ulquiorra didn't respond, but instead his hand drifted up to his mask, feeling it subconsciously as she looked away, unsure as to what he was doing. She heard him give a small gasp of air, but decided not to turn around, as she had that feeling that she was intruding.

"Thank you Pet-sama." he stated simply, standing up. Orihime's eyes widened as she realized she had just been thanked by one of the most unfriendly arrancar that she had ever met. This was certainly an interesting day.

"Uh.. sure," she returned, unsure if she should have even responded at all. She stood, brushing off the bottoms of her white uniform, which was now covered in wrinkles. She was in desperate need to have them cleaned. Ulquiorra seemed to notice her distaste and spoke as if he had read her mind.

"Before I leave, I'll take you to someone who will wash your clothes. You can... take a bath in the meantime as well. I'll be in a meeting with the other espada, so you should not have any troubles." Orihime nearly gave a smile, finally hearing something that she wanted to hear among all of the busy situations lately.

"Thank you Ulquiorra-sama," she smiled, feeling the urge to imitate him exactly from a few seconds prior.

He simply turned around, giving her a small glance to signify that she was to follow before exiting the room, leading her to a section of Las Noches that she had never seen before. It was slightly darker, but had a warmer feeling to it regardless of there being less light. She had grown a little tired of the blinding white of Hueco Mundo, so it was lovely to see some variation finally.

They met up with a tall arrancar woman, a mask covering her left eye and stretching across the back of her head to the opposite ear. She seemed kind enough, but someone who wasn't interested in any foolishness. Orihime gave a quick bow of obligatory gratitude to Ulquiorra before following the woman into the bathing room, closing the door behind her.

Ulquiorra stood outside, knowing that he had no meeting to go to. In all honestly, he just couldn't stand to be around her for any more time. Why was it that every time their eyes met, he felt a shock that could only be classified as emotion. He could feel nothing, so why was it that he felt so helpless when her hand touched his shoulder?

It was because he was jealous, that's why.

He was jealous of her humanness, and that was all. It was normal to feel that, so it was nothing to be concerned about. Aizen-sama had told him that he could have no relationship with the woman, so that was fine. He was fine.

He'd be fine soon enough.

Eventually.

* * *

Orihime stepped into the steaming water, breathing a sigh of relief as it washed over her, warming both her body and her mood. It had been so long since she had felt this pleasant warmth, and she missed it's natural feeling. It felt so good to relax for once, without having to worry about someone or something bolting in any moment.

Unfortunately for her, giving her time to relax meant that she had time to think. Being in Ulquiorra's room seems like something that had been there for the whole time. She almost missed her old room where she could have her own solitude without worrying about sleeping next to the most deadly beings in Hueco Mundo. Almost.

Something about the room was a little more comforting then being on her own the whole time. She was used to being alone all the time though. Without her brother, her home had been her own place of solitude for her life growing up. Maybe that's why it seemed almost... natural to be here.

Orihime took a big breath of air before sinking down under the water, her hair floating on the surface.

To some extent, this whole situation felt somewhat natural. When she had first arrived, she had been frightened, obviously. Now it felt like it was her home. Maybe because she had given up her life on earth. She really had no choice.

It was a sad thought to think that she had no more life left except for here. Did she give up? Or should she make the best of what she had? Orihime blew bubbles under the water as she took comfort in the warmth of the water.

She closed her eyes, thinking about her past few days. A pair of aquamarine eyes filled her head, almost unrecognizable with their emotion-filled iris'.

Maybe what she had now wasn't so bad.

* * *

Whew, and there is chapter 11 for you guys! Hope that you enjoyed it, and I apologize for not a whole lot happening. As I said earlier, this is pretty neccesary for the story to progress, and I promise that I'll do my best to make the next chapter a little more interesting, whenever that chapter may be. This chapter might be a bit shorter then usual, but I blame that on the fact that it's almost 1, and I'm ready to drop. I have 1 class tomorrow, then the rest of the day off, so maybe I'll dream some planning tonight, as I usually do on my stories 3

Woo! Maybe if I'm lucky and you guys like me enough, I'll get my 100th review on this chapter? Oh man, if you guys do that, I'll add something very special in the next chapter, even though I'm not sure what that might be! Hope it won't be too long until that chapter comes out, but remember: your reviews inspire me to get off my ass and write!

Anyways, I won't guilt you into reviewing anymore, so I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you next update!

Hugs and Kisses 3

Vadraxia


	12. Revelations

_A/N – Happy new years everyone! I suppose I could apologize for a paragraph or two about how late my updates are, but I'm sure that you'd just rather read another chapter instead of hearing me snivilling. Then again, I could be wrong? Anyways, I hope everyone had a great holiday season, and a fun new year. I know I did:D:D:D_

_I planned to have this out before the New Year actually, but I've been really busy helping backstage with our valley's christmas pantomime, Snow White :) So much fun! I also got the lead in our spring production of Seussical, Gertrude. So I have a lot up ahead of me. I still have a clear idea of where this story is going, but I mean, if you have anything you'd enjoy seeing in it, feel free to let me know!_

_As a little holiday gift, this chapter is now almost doubled compared to previous chapters, but I have no idea if my future chapters will be this long or not. Here's hoping!_

_P.S. - I had a few people ask me if the whole "Mask crack death" thing was real or not. I really came up with it myself, but it seemed logical enough. The idea came to me with Nel's injury on her mask from Noitra, so could be!_

_Enjoy the chapter!_

_--_

She followed behind him as the sun started to set, shades of orange and yellow setting across the streets spread out in front of her, for what seemed to go on forever. She wanted to shout, to grab his attention, but was worried that he might run.

_Why would he run?_

Orihime cleared her throat, setting into a little jog as she hooked her backpack onto both her arms so it wouldn't drag behind her. She brushed a long strand of hair behind her ears, feeling her hair clips as she did it.

_When did she get these?_

"Kurosaki-kun!" she shouted, her high pitched voice getting his attention instantly. The orange-haired boy turned around, his usual grimace covering his face until he saw her. A small smile flashed onto his face, and reflecting in his eyes.

"Inoue-san. There you are. We've been looking all over for you."

"Eh? What do you mean Kurosaki-kun? We just got out of class. I've been here all day!" A wave of confusion hit her. That was where she was, wasn't it?

"Don't be silly! You haven't been to school in weeks! We all thought that you left on vacation without telling any of us!" a somewhat hurt look appeared on Ichigo's face as he started to turn away, continuing his long strides towards the Kurosaki clinic.

She took a step forward, reaching out in hopes of stalling him, "I would never leave without telling you, Kurosaki-kun!"

He stopped, his back turned to her. He shook visibly, his hands to his side as he let out a soft chuckle.

_It's too late for that now, isn't it Orihime?_

A cold blast of air burst through the sky, right towards her. The force of it nearly sent her onto her back as she braced herself, feeling the need to move forward. Ichigo was still in her sight, now facing her. A sorrowful look covered his face, as if he were about to cry.

_Blink_

_Another man now stood in front of her, skin as white as satin with snow as black as ebony. His aquamarine eyes sparkled with knowledge as he watched her. She was unsure whether or not to trust him as she started to walk forward, knowing that she couldn't be blown back by this force._

_Blink_

Orange replaced black, Ichigo's face re-entered her mind as he stood, reaching out towards her in desperation. "You can do it, Inoue-san!"

_Blink_

"Come on, woman. I know that you're stronger then this!"

Orihime trudged forward, the wind turning her hair into whips as they slashed against her face. She winced, only a few metres away from where Ulquiorra stood.

_Blink_

"_You're almost there! Just one more decision!"_

_Blink_

"You'll never get past this if you can't decide what you want!"

_**Flash**_

A tear slipped out of her eye as Orihime sat up, soft blankets covering her body as she realized she was in a soft bed. Was this her bed at home? What was going on? She noticed that she was wearing a short, cotton nightgown as she stepped out of the bed, instantly regretting it as aches and pains hit her all over her body. Was she back home...finally?

A knock resounded from her door, and she jumped, hesitant to open it, before realising that this wasn't Heuco Mundo. They couldn't get her here.

As she opened the door, the familiar face of Rukia appeared, stern, yet kind. "There you are Orihime"

Rukia walked through the door, without even taking her shoes off. She was in her shinigami outfit, she realized, and Orihime was completely lost. "What's going on, Kuchiki-san?"

The black-haired shinigami's eyes flashed with a mixture of emotions that Orihime couldn't catch in time before she spoke in her low-pitched, boyish voice, "What are you doing here Orihime? Why have you abandoned us?"

"What are you talking about?" Orihime responded in alarm, unsure what to think about what was going on. "I haven't abandoned an--"

"Shut up! Don't pretend like you don't remember. You abandoned all of us for your own needs. We tried for so long. We searched for what must have been ages before you left us all." Rukia bit her bottom lift, stifling a small sob. Orihime finally noticed to what extent Rukia was speaking. Was she... starting to cry? No. This was the shinigami that was perfect. She couldn't cry.

"_WHY!? _ We look for you, and you just forsake us? I loved you like a sister, and you cast me aside?_" _a small stream of tears poured from Rukia's large eyes as she fell to the floor in front of her.

Out of nowhere, Ishida stepped towards the shinigami, bending down as he placed an arm over her shoulder, "she's right you know. We spent days, and weeks trying to find you. Do you know how mortifying it was to find that you had given up on us before we had even finished searching for you?"

The quincy scoffed, looking up towards her. "Do you know what we went through to find you?"

"N-no. I didn't mea- I didn't do anything!"

"Don't even bother. We know. Just tell us why you picked them over us? Why would you do that to your friends?"

Orihime's eyes widened, confusion aching out of every one of her pores. Rukia still sat on the floor, stiffling her sobs while Ishida stared up at her, looking for some sort of explanation.

"I---"

They both looked at her, waiting for her response.

"I don't know."

_**Flash**_

--

She awoke with a loud gasp, her eyes snapping open as she jolted into conciousness. Her eyes met with a white ceiling, and she was tempted to groan just at the sight of it. Taking a moment to regain herself, she thought back to that bizarre dream. That was the first time she had ever dreamed and remembered it when she woke up since she had arrived at Hueco Mundo.

Orihime sat up, brushing her delicate fingers through her messy hair, noticing that her forehead was soaked with sweat.

She looked around the room, hoping desperately that this wasn't another part of her dream. As nice as it was to wake up at be home, that wasn't the kind of place she wanted to return to.

She let out a soft gasp when her eyes met with a figure sitting on the edge of the large bed in the room. Ulquiorra sat on the side, resting his head on his hands as he watched her cautiously, his wide eyes piercing in the soft light.

"You were talking in your sleep." he stated simply, and Orihime blushed, hoping that she didn't say anything that would put her in an awkward position.

"Um.. was I?" she returned, wanting to fill the air as she brushed out the last of the tangles in her hair. "I'm.. sorry if I disturbed you then."

He was silent for a moment before he stood, walking over to where the thin slice of moonlight reached through the room. She had spent many hours just staring out that small window, hoping to see some sight that Ichigo was right around, about to rescue her. When she thought about it, she hadn't even so much as glanced outside in quite a few days.

"I have to go to an important meeting in the morning. Chances are that I'll be gone for a decent amount of time." he turned and looked towards Orihime, who was now fully seated on top of her sheets. "I trust Grimmjow will be guard enough for you."

At the mention of the 6th espada, Orihime's blood froze, wanted anything but to be kept by that wretched man again. Every night she feared that he would come back and try to get what she denied him the last time he watched over her. What else could she do? She didn't want to tell Ulquiorra what had happened, but she wanted to prevent what she knew would happen should she not take this chance.

"P-please, Ulquiorra-sama. U-umm, can s-someone else p-please guard me?"

His eyes narrowed at her plea, unsure about how to take it. Was there someone that she preferred? "What's wrong, pet-sama? Is there someone that you'd prefer? Or is it just that he's not good enough to look after you?"

She bit her bottom lip, not wanting to seem weak after she had grown so much lately, "N-no. It's just that, well... I didn't have the best experience last time he guarded me..."

"What are you talking about?"

She instantly regretted bringing this matter up. She wasn't weak, and she could take care of herself. Besides, why would she assume that Ulquiorra would understand her concerns, or even care enough to listen? "No, it's... nothing. I'm sorry for making it a big deal."

He turned his head towards her and took a step forward, expecting her to cower away. Alas, she sat on her sheets, keeping her eyes to the floor. "What happened?"

She looked up at him, into his eyes as she felt a wave of emotion run through her head. She swallowed in attempt to calm the oncoming tears, reminding herself that she promised not to cry. She was done with tears. They were useless now. "It was nothing..," she continued to plea, hoping desperately that he would just drop the matter.

"Tell me."

They continued to make eye-contact for what seemed like ages before she let out a sigh, finally giving in. "Well, it wasn't anything... terrible. He just... " she paused, fearing his reaction, "tried to take advantage of me while you were.. gone."

She expected him to be angry, perhaps even dissapointed with her weakness. She expected quite a few different things to appear from this revelation, but sympathy was not one of them. His eyes softened, as he took another step towards her. She felt the need to shy away from his as he continued towards her, but her body refused to move. It was as if she was mouse in front of a cat. Her instinct told her to run, but the rest of her body felt no need to move an inch. She sensed no danger.

He shut his eyes for a moment, collecting himself before kneeling only a foot or so away from where she sat. He took a breath, an uncomfortable expression covering his face, "I'm.. sorry that happened to you." The words seemed so foreign to hear from him, yet it still carried his usual coldness. She really wasn't sure what to expect from the arrancar standing in front of her, but her mind simply refused to stop thinking so rapidly, and live in the moment of what was happening.

He just sat there, perhaps deep in thought himself, as silence ensued between them. The awkward feeling hung in the air, too much to bear until her body moved forward, her hand reaching out until it grabbed his own hand. She felt his cool skin against her own hand, and he looked up at her, another look of confusion on his face. "...Thank you," she nearly whispered, understanding how difficult it must be for him to show any sort of emotion.

Ever since the day she had arrived, Ulquiorra had always been cold, mean, and abrupt. There was some extra element in the time she had been there that she didn't get recognize that had caused most of that to change. He was still cold and abrupt, but not to her.

They sat there for another few moment, simply enjoying eachother's company with their hands touching; a connection perhaps. Their eyes met once more, his glistening blue-green eyes seemed as if they looked right through her, and she had an instant deja vu feeling, remembering hre dream.

Was this foreshadowing?

Her thoughts ceased as they both leaned forward instinctively, their lips meeting in s oft and gentle medium.

--

Later that night, they hadn't spoken much, except for the woman's requests to stay with that arrancar that they called Chirucchi. He felt that he was at no position to refuse her, and she assured him kindly that she wouldn't run. Even though he had little reason to believe her, something deep down knew that she wouldn't do such a thing now.

Still, it felt awful to even let her out of his sight. She was his possesion now, it felt like. Never had the espada had something that he felt belonged to him before this. Perhaps he had no heart, or maybe he did. Nevertheless, he knew that if she should ever leave, whatever filled the space in his chest would die a slow and painful death along with her departure.

--

"Welcome, my children," Aizen spoke, his knowing tone setting everyone on edge. He rested his head on his intertwined fingers, making eye contact with the top 5 espada that sat before him. "I'm now concerned about the progress that the intruders have made into Las Noches. I figure now is the time to take action."

A sound of agreement rose throughout the room, while both Tousen and Gin sat at Aizen's side, silent. Ulquiorra instantly looked away as his eyes met with Gin's, not wanting to have to deal with that fearsome man ever again.

The rest of the meeting went by, talk of plans and traps occurred, but Ulquiorra paid little attention to it all. Ashamed to admit it to himself, all of his thoughts and concern traced back to whether the woman would be alright without him watching over her.

His thoughts were interrupted when all of the espada stood, the meeting having been concluded without him every noticing. He stood, trying not to show that his thoughts were elsewhere. "Thank you for your time," Aizen's voice filled the room, giving everyone knowledge that it was unlikely they would meet again before their duties had been fulfilled.

Ulquiorra started for the door as Aizen's voice stopped him, "please wait a moment, Ulquiorra-kun."

The 4th espada turned, meeting eyes with his fearsome leader. The doors shut behind him, and his heartbeat sped up in anticipation.

_Bakudou 75, Gochuu Tekan_

_Ulquiorra's eyes shot open as all of his limbs constricted under the binding kidou. He struggled, knowing what would come next. The last thing he saw was Aizen standing from his chair and walking towards him before his vision went dark._

_--_

_He awoke, instantly hit with a wave of pain. He didn't need to think to know what the problem was, and he shut his eyes from the bright lights above him as he raised his hand, the crack in his mask now more then doubled in size. No, not now. Not when he had found what he truly needed in life. _

_Aizen truly was cruel if he wanted to take that away from him._

_--_

"_Do you know what love is, Chirucchi?" she almost whispered, instantly hoping that she hadn't been heard._

_The fairy-like espada glanced up at her, narrowing her eyes almost as if she had just been issued a challenge. "Of course. Just because I'm not 100 human, doesn't mean that I can't love, baka." She was silent for a few moments, and Orihime felt the need to intergect before she spoke again, "There was a man that I loved very much before I got demoted from espada..."_

_She took a deep breath, wishing that she didn't have to recall her history, but Orihime's pressing gaze told her that she would have to at some point or another, "There was another espada named Delron at the time. He was a fascinating man, but he too got demoted to one of the privaron once Aizen came along. I doubt he ever noticed me at all, but I tried to console him after he was replaced. He wouldn't listen."_

"_What happened to him?" Orihime asked, now interested. For the longest time, she had believed that love was an impossible thing for arrancar, but she was greatly relieved to hear that wasn't the case._

_Chirucchi gave a short laugh, changing her sitting position out of discomfort before she continued, "He didn't think that there was any point to going on if he wasn't one of the top. I kept trying to tell him that wasn't true, but I highlydoubt my opinion mattered to him. I kept thinking somehow that he was right, but I still hoped that he would gain some hope of still being important." Sadness flashed across her eyes as she looked at Orihime once more, hoping that she could stop there. _

_Getting no path for exit, she continued, "He went on a suicide mission to the real world, knowing that he would either be destroyed, or destroy many when he went to the real world. Several shinigami appeared and killed him. I'm one of the few that even know this, cause I followed him up until I sensed the shinigami. I'm such a coward. Maybe if I had went all the way, we could've fought and survived."_

_She let out a frusturated sigh, rolling onto her side as she propped her head up on her right head, "You ask me if I know what love is? I think a better question is to ask if you know what love is, Hime-chan?"_

_Orihime gulped, feeling put on the spot as Chirucchi glared accusingly at her. She thought about it for a moment, looking back to the dream she had experienced last night, along with the event afterwards. _

"_You know... I think I do."_

_--_

_They sat in a circle, bruised and battered as they used any means possible to heal themselves. It seemed like ages since they had seen eachother, and Ichigo could do nothing but grin, knowing that him and his friends had found eachother safely. Even though he had yet to meet up with Chad, he could feel his reiatsu growing since it had been struck down earlier, and he had faith that they would meet up soon. Now they just had to find Inoue._

_Thank goodness Nel had saved his ass several times in a row. If she hadn't managed to show up in the nik of time to rescue him when he was about to be toast, there was no chance he would be sitting with his friends right now. He still couldn't believe that she was one of the top espada._

"_Come on you guys, we've sat around enough!" Everyone looked up, determination on their faces. Ishida and Rukia wore a light smile, looking forward to see their friend, while Renji, Nel, and her brothers had a bemused look on their own faces. _

_They stood, facing the single doorway parallel to the seperate paths they had met up at. They could all sense Orihime up ahead, and that was what kept them all going._

"_Let's go everyone! We've gotta save Inoue-san from these monsters!"_

_--_

_Hope everyone enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed writing it! I sure helps to outline the chapter before writing it I've discovered. Thanks to my sister as well for tolerating my incessant talking over msn about asking her for ideas or help, even though she's not a huge Bleach person :)_

_Yay for smooches and love revelations! I can't thank you guys enough for still reviewing up until this day, considering I haven't published a new chapter in a while, but I hope that you will continue to have faith in me, and I'll continue to write!_

_Lots of Ulquiorra love,_

_Vadraxia!_


	13. Hopeless

Oh dear. Well, I'm at the situation now where I could probably snivel and apologize for paragraphs and paragraphs about my late update. The facts are, it's doesn't matter. I don't have any good excuses. I lost interest in Bleach. I had school, I actually had a social life for once. Every time that something regarding this story popped up in my inbox, I felt this overwhelming sense of shame for never finishing. So even though I'm not so much a part of the fan base now, I am very determined to finish this! Chances are that the next chapter will be the last one.

Gah, I can't even believe it's been almost a year since I update. That's so... awful! Gaaaaah, I really can't thank you guys enough for being so supportive without me updating, and I just hope that people will enjoy this chapter, and still want to know what happens. Again, I'm so sorry. I feel like an awful person, but I sincerely hope that this chapter will make up for it a little more, and the promise that the story will be concluded very shortly!

ENJOY!

Disclaimer – Bleach does not belong to me!

_**-When your heart aches, my heart aches, and this is the song it sings"**_

Ulquiorra inhaled and exhaled calmly as he strode down the silent halls of Las Noches. He was trying to keep focus, but was failing miserably. An espada such as him should never have a problem focusing, or letting meager things get in his way, and there was no reason why anything should be an exception.

Yet it somehow managed to be an exception none the less.

His thoughts filled with concern and worry, mostly for himself. Yes, he had always been the selfish type, but ever since he had begun working underneath Aizen-sama's command, things had been smooth sailing. His life laid out before him, his goals neatly organized and set into priorities. In his world of black and white, a flash of grey managed to interrupt his calm serenity, and Ulquiorra couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. Yes, he now saw himself for the oblivious fool he had once been, but maybe things would've been easier if he had just remained the same as always. Cold to the outside world, cold to himself. Cold to _her._

That was it; no matter how hard he tried, all of the 4th espada's thoughts seem to rotate back to that woman. The woman that took his comfort away from him, and replaced it with a feeling of belonging and acceptance. She had hated him, at first at least. He couldn't help but notice when her gaze turned soft once she saw him; but assumed that it wasn't a concern of his. Nevertheless, it became a concern for everyone when he started to recognize himself returning her soft looks, and her carefree behavior.

Because of that, he had come to see what he was missing in these past years, since he worked for Aizen. Since he was an Adjuchas, or even a Gillian.

No.

Ever since he had been conscious of his time in the universe. Ulquiorra had never experienced anything like this, and it was all being torn away from him.

Those kind looks, the soft demeanor. All of that meant nothing if he couldn't have it. That Orihime woman was like a china doll, not meant to be touched or admired up close, but to be put in a glass case and presented for the world. He felt like a small child, to be punished if he didn't understand that _simple _fact.

Aizen's command had been no-nonsense. He had clearly demonstrated thus far that if he were to associate in un-professional ways with the woman, then he would die. The notable crevice in his mask noted that enough. He may had been oblivious, but never enough to think that it would end nicely. Surely at some point, that woman would understand what his averted glances and cracks meant. Surely she would finally see him for the coward that he was, too scared to even try to love someone, afraid for his own life.

Surely she would forget all about him, and just let him be.

Ulquiorra stopped mid-step, gathering himself. At some point, his breathing had become stifled without even noticing it. He clenched his aquamarine eyes shut, trying to force all of the depressing thoughts out. What was he going to do now? He knew that once he walked back into his room, she'd be waiting, hint of a smile on her flaw-less skin. She'd have a bit of hope in her eyes; the same hope that he knew would never go away, ever since she was kidnapped.

He knew that the moment he walked back into his room, he'd be overwhelmed with the feelings that he was trying to force down so desperately.

So what was there left to do? Would he simply treat her as dirt, and do his best to scare her off? Would he succumb, and pay for it with his life? Ulquiorra had been called level-headed several times in the past, but something like this was not what he was used to.

There was no way to know until he was at that point.

---

Orihime felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her as she entered the familiar room. Was it comfort? Either way, she felt more relaxed then she had in ages. She looked around, pulling her long orange hair behind her ears.

She looked over at her "bed" over against the right wall, and let out a little sigh of exhaustion. She really just wanted to drop down and sleep, but her mind was aloof with too many thoughts to give her a restful sleep at this point. Her day had been full of spending time with Chirucchi, which was exhausting by itself. The orange-haired girl felt something warm in the center of her stomach as she sat down on her blankets, looking out at the small window positioned high against the north wall of the room.

For once in so long, she felt so at peace just looking at the moon. Unlike before, she didn't look at it with expectations, or concern, but instead with serenity and peace in mind. She just felt so... _relaxed. _

Orihime's gaze drifted around the room as her eyelids started to droop on their own, her mind refusing to let her go to sleep just yet. Her eyes caught sight of a bed on the opposite side of the room. She let out a sigh of disappointment, knowing that it was not hers.

It had been at least months since she had actually slept on a bed, instead of her blankets on the ground. Her back had slowly adjusted, but still gave her the odd trouble now and again. But the bed just looked so _inviting_. Orihime wanted so badly just to go and rest for only a little while.

Rising to her feet, she slowly moved over to the bedside, climbing atop, hoping that Ulquiorra wouldn't be back too soon. She wouldn't stay long.

Inhaling deeply, Orihime took in the familiar scent of the man, a soft musk filling her lungs. She sighed out, relishing the oxygen as she enjoyed the soft mattress and the relaxing scent. No, she wouldn't stay long; she'd only close her eyes for a moment.

Or so she thought as she drifted off to a deep slumber.

---

He noticed something different the very moment that he walked into his room. The entire walk towards his room had been filled with a mixture of dread and excitement, but when he arrived, there was no sight of the woman. He looked to her bed, and saw nothing. She wasn't even in his own bed (he was nearly blushing when he saw that it had been laid in). He had an awful feeling about this. She would very rarely go anywhere without him or another Arrancar, and nobody had contacted him about it. Worry welled up in the pit of his stomach before his focus turned to the ground near the bed. Oh god, there was blood. His eyes widened in disbelief. Thoughts were racing through Ulquiorra's head at an incredible pace as punched his fist against the white walls. It crumbled underneath his touch, and he glared at one of the workers through the giant hole he had made through the wall as they scurried past in fright.

There was only one person who could have done this. He rubbed his hand before storming out of the room to find Grimmjow.

---

Orihime groaned in pain as she awoke from her deep sleep. She panicked upon awakening, forgetting where she was. This wasn't the room she had fallen asleep in. She swallowed roughly as she cringed, bringing her hand up to her throat. She had a minor cut on it, and it took her a moment before all of the previous events caught up to her.

--

"_You're coming with me." Grimmjow spat at her, and it nearly looked like he was ashamed of what was going on._

_"What do you want?" she questioned in panic._

_"It's not me. Just orders. This stuff isn't my favorite, but I got no choice." he narrowed his eyes, and hers flickered to the blade held at her throat._

_"Orders from who? You can't do this! Ulquiorra will be back soon, and he'll--" she blurted out as fast as she could._

_His eyes had a dangerous glint as he mentioned the espada's name, "Watch what'cha say. He's not always gonna be around to play bodyguard for ya."_

_"What do you... mean?" her voice dropped to nearly a whisper. He averted his blue eyes away from hers._

_"Just...whatever. Come with me. Don't make this harder then it's gonna have to be."_

_"No, answer me!" she burst out, instantly regretting it, as she realized she had leaned into his blade. She felt the cool metal push into her throat, and winced in pain. Grimmjow let out a sound of frustration as he pulled his blade back._

_"God, you're clumsy." She leaned over the bed, feeling a few drips of blood fall to the floor before she wiped what she could with her sleeve. Orihime looked up at Grimmjow, nodding slowly before standing, and following him out of the room. She kept hoping that Ulquiorra would appear around the corner, ready to take her back, but Grimmjow assured her that it would not be the case. After a short distance, they both stopped before a doorway, and Grimmjow grabbed her arm, flinging her into the dark room. She saw his eyes one last time before the door closed, and that was probably the first time that he had ever really looked sorry for something._

_--_

Orihime looked around the room in despair. Her eyes had begun to adjust before she fell down to her back. How did things become so complicated all of a sudden?

Her thought process was interrupted by another aura in the room. It sent chills up and down her spine as she recognized who it was. A light was lit; another. Soon enough, she could see around the room a great deal, and she made eye-contact with the other inhabitant in the room.

"Aizen..." Her eyes widened, and her heart rate sped up involuntarily.

"Ah, Hime-san, glad to see that you've woken up. I was starting to get worried," he wore his usual smirk, but Orihime noticed something very different this time around. She saw something in his dark brown eyes that she would've never associated with the nightmare standing in front of her. Insecurity? Yes, now she could even notice bits of it in his face too. He was very uncomfortable right now.

"What do you want with me...Aizen-sama?" She grimaced as she choked out the last bit, even going so far as to give him a curt nod. "Have I done something wrong?"

His weight shifted as he started to walk closer to her, kneeling down only a foot or so away, "As a matter of fact, there was something of concern brought to my attention. I figured I might go to the source, as it was something beyond my powers to control from where I was."

"I...don't understand?"

He gave a light laugh before responding by bringing his right hand, pulling it back, and hitting her hard upon her left cheek. She screamed out at the instant agony. It felt as if her entire head had been crushed under the power, and her thoughts swam slowly as they tried to catch up to where she had flown to in the room. "Are you sure you don't understand?" He followed to where she had fallen, pulling her up so that she stood in front of him.

Her eyes watered in desperation. _No, no crying Orihime!_She tried to look at him and make eye contact, but her eyes kept going in and out of focus. "I...don't," she managed to utter out, hardly understanding the question.

He hit her again, this time her other cheek before throwing her across the room again. She landed harshly, and heard a dark crack upon impact as she was heaving for air. It felt as if one of her ribs had been snapped, and she coughed out a of blood in her attempt to breathe.

"So you don't know anything about Ulquiorra now? Isn't it thanks to you that his loyalty to me has faltered so? If not, speak up, and was can just forget this ever happened," he spoke lightly, sarcasm dripping off each and every word of his. Her thoughts were still swimming as he spoke, but focused on the Espada's name. He lowered his voice as she came towards her again. She shied away from him, but knew that she couldn't get away, "Isn't it thanks to you that I have to punish one of my best Espada? How dare you think that you can give love to one of my creations," he glared at her, and she truly saw the insecurity flowing at the speed of light through his head.

She tried for an answer, but couldn't seem to form the words. She wasn't sure if this was due to the pain, or the question itself, but her thoughts simply couldn't process fast enough. Aizen grabbed a handful of her bright orange hair, pulling her face close to his as his gaze bore down deep into her soul, "Tell me you don't love him."

Her lip trembled in fright as she shut her eyes, unable to bear the feeling that she had right now. "I..."

"TELL ME!" he shouted right into her ear, and she began to whimper, feeling so helpless. His teeth were clenched together as he tried one last time, "Tell me that you don't have feelings for each other."

"I... I c-can't." She whimpered out, so overwhelmed with pain and emotion, "I...don't know.. Oh god, I d-don't know..."

He looked as if he would split her in half from the look on his face, but he just dropped her hair, taking steady breaths in and out. "Fine, you leave me no choice Inoue Orihime." he spoke, sounding more composed then ever.

She clenched her eyes shut as she continued to fight back the tears. There was no time to cry now. Too much time wasted. She heard Aizen's footsteps as he walked away from her, and she let out a shudder of pain and sorrow before falling back into an empty, pain-filled sleep.

--

She opened her eyes, slowly, at first, as if afraid of what she might see once she did. Part of her wondered if she were dead for a moment. All she was was white. Again. She was really getting tired of this color scheme. She heard the sound of footsteps, feared that Aizen would be back. That was before she noticed that she was in a place she had never been before. She pushed herself up, feeling the sharp pain of her ribcage. "Shonou, Ayame; Souten Kisshun. I reject!" she whispered softly, taking comfort in the familiar sensation of using her powers. It felt like it had been so long.

Her breath caught when she heard the footsteps behind her stop. She turned around slowly, and her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Kurosaki-kun..."

--

Whew, so there it is. I really hope you enjoyed it. I think that I've changed a lot as a writer in the time it's taken me to post, but about a 3rd of this chapter has been typed up for a while. I just did most of it today (Thank god for weekends).

If anyone wants to, feel free to let me know in a review if anything interesting has happened on the bleach front that I might be curious to know. From the the looks of it, it just seems like a lot of boring fights. Prove me wroooooong! :)

See you guys next update, and thanks again!

-Vadraxia


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